


Heart Strings

by revethegemini



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Angst, Battle of the Bands, DNF, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, High School AU, M/M, Musicians, Rivals, dreamnotfound, english dream smp vs american dream smp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28351668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revethegemini/pseuds/revethegemini
Summary: Clay is determined to take his band to victory, claiming the title of "Best Amateur Rock Band of 2021" but things take a turn after he meets a rival bassist who won't leave his mind.-"You are a terrible spy.""I-I wasn't spying!""Yeah? looks like spying to me." George gave a slight smirk, relishing in his power over the blond boy.Clay realized he was caught, although he didn't seem to mind. After all, he was now talking to the kid who would simply not leave his mind. It seems this rivalry thing may become a bit more complicated than he thought.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound
Comments: 58
Kudos: 186





	1. Signing Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys thanks for giving my story a chance! This is my first DreamNotFound fanfic so I'm sorry if there are inaccuracies or if it's, yknow, not the best lol. Despite this, I hope you give it a chance and enjoy!

If there was one word to describe Clay, competitive might just fit the bill.

Clay grew up working hard at sports and school, hoping to best anyone going against him. After much practice and gained skill, he proved himself a worthy competitor.

While sports came and went, Clay couldn't help but fall in love with one thing - _music._

Now a senior in high school, Clay had managed to find three guys who also shared this love and decided to join together as a band. He wouldn't say it out loud, but it seemed pretty obvious who cared the most for their makeshift rock band. He loved his friends, but their passion just could not match his.

Despite this, the four boys stood outside shivering in place. The line for signup was a lot longer than any of them expected, causing some nervousness to creep up on them.

"You didn't say there would be this many people Clay, do you think it's even worth doing all this?" the drummer of the group asked, looking around at the many performers waiting their turn.

"Obviously there would be a lot of people, Karl, it's a competition." Nick, the bassist, groaned. Karl rolled his eyes and rubbed his hands together.

"We'll be inside soon, guys, I'll buy lunch to make it up to you all." Clay crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to keep himself warm.

"Fuck yeah!" Alex exclaimed at the mention of lunch.

The line moved foreword as the boys had a new lunch-driven excitement buzzing around them.

Things were fairly calm until the boys heard commotion a few groups behind them in line.

"Why does it sound like a buncha fans just came out of no where back there? Can you see who it is? Is it someone famous?" Karl stood on his tiptoes trying to get a look at who the crowd surrounded. Alex turned his head and attempted to get a look, "Oh don't bother Alex, if you want a good view you should hop on Nicks back." Karl grinned.

"SHUT UP WE'RE THE SAME HEIGHT!" Alex fumed, earning a loud chuckle from Karl and an amused laugh from Nick. 

Clay quietly looked back, wondering who was back there and if they were better than his own group. The line moved forward without him, forcing a break in his trance to follow his group up. This band meant a lot to him, winning would mean even more. Putting them on the map has been Clay's #1 priority for a long time and a first place prize would do just that. He was willing to do anything for their talent to be recognized. He was tired of being a nobody.

"You okay Clay? You seem kinda spacey." Nick questioned his friend, the other bandmates were too busy bullying each other to notice the side conversation.

"I really want this, Nick," Clay paused, "for all of us. Maybe a trophy would get peoples attention finally."

Nick patted his friends back, giving a smile of reassurance, "We'll just have to give it our best shot."

"I'm not calling you that!" Karl playfully argued with Alex, drawing the attention of Clay and Nick.

"C'mon it's a cool stage name you have to admit!"

"Quackity? What kind of stage name is that?" Karl seemed frustrated.

"Better than Nicks stage name!"

"That was a joke, Alex. I'm not gonna have people call me Sapnap, obviously." Nick mumbled, avoiding eye contact, 

"Well I'm not joking. Quackity is funny and I'm forcing you to call me by that name from now on." Alex narrowed his eyes at the others.

Clay laughed at his friends ridiculousness. All joking aside, he knew his friends had talent and an overwhelming amount of musical chemistry that gave them a shot at winning. He glanced toward the back of the line, surprised to see a small crowd still gathered around someone. If that popularity was any indication of skill, the boys may have their work cut out for them.

"Next group up!" The four boys moved towards the desk, finally thawing from the freezing outside. "Hey guys! Please write your band name and individual band mates on this sheet. Also include some simple contact information." 

Clay took the pen and did all the paperwork for his group. "Um, we don't exactly have a set name for our band yet, can I contact you guys about it later?" Clay asked feeling a bit embarrassed.

"No problem! There is a deadline for all final group details though, so please get back to us in the next three weeks." The lady handling the paperwork smiled.

He nodded, finished writing their information, and the boys left the sanctuary of the warm building.

"Free lunch! You can't take it back, Clay, you promised." Karl pointed at the blond boy.

"Alright, a deals a deal." The four guys walked out but Clay decided to get a good look at the competition before leaving for food. He noticed a brown haired guy surrounded by smiling girls. Beside him, he saw another brunette looking a bit uncomfortable at the crowd around them. His eyes shifted nervously from their faces to the ground. The fans seemed interested in the curly haired man while the four, presumably other bandmates, talked amongst themselves. 

The nervous brunette seemed to notice Clays gaze, which he quickly averted. He shook the thought of that group from his mind and joined his friends on their pursuit for food.

"We really need a name, guys, I mean we've been playing together for over 2 years now." Clay said to the boys.

"Quackity and the-"

"SHUT UP!" Karl quickly interrupted Alex's input.

* * *

The four boys were sat at the local diner, chowing down on burgers, fries, and sandwiches. Clay, while excited for this chance to show off his bands hard work, couldn't hide from his fear. What if they didn't win? There were a lot of people there to sign up, who's to say all those groups don't have what it takes? Would the loss ruin their friendship? Karl's parents were never fond of his involvement in the band, they were worried he'd be distracted from his studies. A loss could be a good enough excuse to pull him out from their group. It was Clays idea to compete, maybe he just ruined everything.

"Hey, when we win, do you think girls will crowd around us like that one guy?" Karl excitedly questioned.

"We'd have to beat that guy to win, Karl, I'd just be happy with top 5." Nick sighed, aware something was occupying his friends mind. "Clay? You've been out of it all day what's going on?" With this, all eyes landed on Clays now flushed face-he'd been caught.

"I don't know, you guys. I guess signing up made everything-real. Now I can't stop thinking about if we lose or get humiliated or have to disband or-"

"Hold on, hold on, aren't you overreacting just a bit dude? We just wrote our names down, no need to stress so early. And who said anything about breaking up? I know I'm staying; you guys would be no where without my guitar skills, I can't leave you hanging."

"Alex you're really getting on my-" Alex gave Karl a look, "Oh my god, fine, _Mr. Quackity,_ you're really getting on my nerves."

"Yeah, don't get so down before we even started Clay. I have faith in us." Nick smiled, taking a sip from his drink, "And guess what; even if we lose, who cares? This is just for fun and some experience playing for crowds, Clay. So what if we don't get an award? The fact that we even have the confidence to get up on stage and play in front of people is cool enough."

"Yeah but we will win" Karl deadpanned.

The boys all shared a laugh, helping Clay forget about his nerves for a while. Interestingly enough, what lingered in his mind after wasn't the nerves, it was the brief eye contact he shared with that boy from the sign up line. The thought of seeing him again gave Clay a strange and unfamiliar feeling. 


	2. Band Practice and a Reveal

Since the boys signed up on Friday, they decided using the weekend to their advantage was a great idea. Clay wanted them to pick out a band name as soon as possible, he never was one to procrastinate. So the four of them sat in Nick's garage-turned-practice room brainstorming what to do.

"We have weeks to come up with a good name, shouldn't we use this weekend for figuring out what songs to perform?" Karl was laying upside down on a lumpy beanbag chair, letting all the blood rush to his face.

"Yeah we're not in a rush or anything, but we need a name sooner than we need to perform." Nick added, messing around with his bass.

"C'mon Clay, let's just play a song or something, Karl's about to fall asleep." Alex whined, pointing to his red faced friend.

"I think you mean 'Karl's about to pass out'" Nick smirked. At the mention of his name, he slowly slid his body off the bean bag, gasping for air as he reached the ground. 

"That was like an out of body experience or something." Karl said.

Clay, attempting to get them back on track, plugged in his guitar and set up the mic. The three others got the hint and scrambled to their positions. Clay looked at Karl expectedly, signaling his turn to pick the song to play.

"Since you been gone!"

"Again, Karl?" Nick chuckled, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Karl nodded his head furiously. Since they knew that song well, the boys started playing.

Clay and Alex split the main lyrics while Nick backed them up. After practicing the number so much, they really sounded good. Clay couldn't help but feel proud of how far they've come. Karl had no experience on the drums before joining and now he played with a certain confidence that drew attention to him. Alex had only played on an acoustic guitar but adapted to electric really quickly. Nick and Clay had more time spent with their instruments but what made the group really great was how they played together.

The harmonious mesh of sounds and personalities radiated outwards, it was obvious how well the group worked on and off stage. They only performed in front of small crowds; school homecoming games, local pubs, Nick's dad's 50th birthday party, and that's about it. And yet-every performance seemed to grab the attention of the audience and hold it until they played their last note.

Their rendition of the 2000's classic had a few off notes, some simple mistakes, it was just a warm up after all. After they wrapped up Since you Been Gone, they breathlessly complimented each other, took some sips of water, and moved on to the next song.

* * *

The boys sat in the bean bag chairs, tired from hours of almost nonstop playing. They chowed down on the pizza's Nicks mom had ordered for them and went back to discussing band names.

"Oh I forgot to tell you guys, I think I found out who that group was from the line yesterday." Alex said, taking a large bite of his pizza after.

"The one with all the-" Nick started.

With his mouth full of food, Alex sighed, " _yes, the one with all the fans, who else?"_

"Don't talk with food in your mouth: it's rude and also gross." Karl spat. Alex leaned towards his ear and open mouth chewed directly into it. "EW STOP."

"Well, who is it?" Clay cut in, hoping to distract the two from their current conversation.

Alex finally swallowed his pizza and sat himself up, building the anticipation. He looked at each of their interested faces.

" _Wilbur and the Ghosts."_

The three boys widened their eyes, half expecting Alex to laugh it off as a joke.

"You're-that's-HAHA-Alex." Nick struggled to get out a proper sentence, still in shock.

"We're fucked." Karl said, a nervous look on his face. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group as they pondered their involvement in this competition.

The strong reaction of the band name was expected. Wilbur and the Ghosts was a very popular rock cover band in their area, they were students of a highly prestigious boarding school which already found their big break. A viral video of their performance circled around a few months ago. It gained a lot of traction and let their name be known by everyone in their town. Articles were even written about them. After some thought, Clay started to realize the group of fans must have been around the front man. He became a sensation alone, leaving the rest of his bandmates in his very tall, very attractive, shadow.

"Okay guys c'mon." Clay finally broke the silence. The three dejected boys looked toward their friend. "Weren't you the ones lecturing me about giving up yesterday? What happened to those guys who didn't care if we won or lost? Just because they got discovered doesn't mean we don't have a chance. Did you hear us? We played really good today, Nicks mom even said so."

"She did like our Lincoln Park cover." Nick mumbled.

"Exactly! I promise you guys, we're good. We work hard and we play our hearts out. We can't let those Europeans beat us!"

"Actually, why are they all European? Is that school just exchange students or-"

"It doesn't matter, Karl, what matters is us. If we just focus this next month into our music, who's to say we can't beat them?" Clay's confidence grew with every word he spoke. These pep talks are what landed him his role of honorary band leader.

"Clay you have a great attitude and I almost completely agree with you." Alex patted his friend on the back. " _But_ I had one little idea on how to level out the playing field." He gave him a mischievous smile.

And this is how Clay found himself cornered in the practice room of Wilbur and the Ghosts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I have so many ideas for this fic I am so excited to be able to share all them with you you have no idea!


	3. A Spy!

After much convincing, Clay gave into Alex's crazy plan to infiltrate a Wilbur and the Ghosts practice session. They practiced in a music room at their boarding school, which Clay somehow tricked his way into. The boys found clothes convincing enough to let him fit in, they had planned the situation very meticulously over the weekend.

Clay was going to sneak his way in. Luckily for the boys, the boarding school had a longer schedule, allowing him to race over after class just in time. He wandered the halls, trying his best to act natural in the very upscale building. Asking around a bit lead him to the 'music wing' and, eventually, the practice room. It wasn't very hard to find as a few students peeked in through the small windows at the practice. Clay wondered how to make his way into the room. He didn't want to intrude, but his band was more important than his moral compass at the moment.

"Excuse me, um, how can I-talk to them?" Clay tapped an onlookers shoulder. They looked at him like he was crazy.

"Talk to them?" the spectator eyed Clay up and let out a chuckle, "Oh I get it, you're new. Here's what happens, we simpletons watch as the performers perform, okay? You don't just get to _talk_ to them!" the kid scoffed at Clay's preposterous question. He simply rolled his eyes and went back to brainstorming. He waited until the music stopped and the members dispersed around the room getting water and checking their phones.

_For the band._

Clay took a weary breath, lifted his chin and turned the door knob.

"He-hey! What do you think you're doing!" The appalled boarding student looked on in horror.

"Hello? I'm so sorry to interrupt you guys-I'm new here and couldn't help but over hear you play. I was wondering where I could sign up to join!" Clay quickly scanned the room, he saw three members who all looked over at him. Four were playing earlier, _wait aren't there five members-_

"Oh, hello! Don't worry about interrupting, you didn't know! I-I'm sorry to say but this band is kinda already set on members." The boy talking to him was short with brown hair. Clay figured he was a freshman or sophomore. 

"What are you guys practicing for?" This question was one of the ones Alex forced him to memorize in an attempt to gain intel. Clay figured the other two bandmates would have said something to him but they remained uninterested on their phones.

"We are preparing for a battle of the bands coming up!" Clay smiled at how easily this kid was opening up. "I'm Toby," he pointed to the other members, "that's Tommy, and that's Niki." They waved back at mention of their names. "George went to the bathroom and our vocalist is... a little late to practice." Tommy and Niki said something quietly to each other while Clay smiled at Toby.

"Battle of the Bands! How cool! Do you guys know what you're playing for it yet? I heard there's a lot of competition this year." Clay had Toby right where he wanted. Knowing what they planned on performing could give his own band some insight on what to look out for. Clay continued to tell himself it wasn't cheating and finding out their song selection would do no real harm.

"Well we plan on playing songs by Mo-"

"Stop right there Toby." The boy was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice coming from across the room. Out of what Clay presumed to be the bathroom emerged the kid whose eyes he met in the signup line. His face began to flush and his palms became sticky with sweat. _Fuck._

The brunette approached a confused Toby and a terrified Clay. Although this kid was a lot shorter than him, the entire situation made him very intimidating.

"You are a terrible spy."

"I-I wasn't spying!"

"Yeah? looks like spying to me." George gave a slight smirk, relishing in his power over the blond boy.

Clay realized he was caught, although he didn't seem to mind. After all, he was now talking to the kid who would simply not leave his mind. 

"George? I'm confused." Tommy and Niki had now joined around Clay, trapping him in place.

George looked up at Clay, "I recognize you from the line," _Badump._ "How did you even sneak in here?"

Clay didn't answer-he was too shocked to speak. Although he wasn't quite sure if the shock was caused by the stress of being caught or by... something else.

"Anyways, you're lucky Wilbur never comes to practice on time or you'd be toast."

Clay couldn't help but let out a slight laugh at his strange word use.

"That doesn't mean you can laugh at me though. We could turn you into the Battle of the Bands Administrators and get you disqualified."

This wiped the smile off his face, "Wait disqualified? I just asked what songs you guys are singing, is that against the rules?"

"Hmm, I suppose not," Clay let out the air he didn't even realize he was holding in, "but sneaking into our school and posing as a student just might do the trick."

 _Shit_ he muttered.

"But I don't think I want to do that." George was having too much fun with this blushing mess. "Luckily I cut in before Toby spilled his guts to you."

"I wouldn't have spilled my guts!" Toby complained, shut down by the looks from all his bandmates. "whatever."

Clay was really cursing himself for coming and his friends for persuading him. He was very uncomfortable.

"Why did you sneak in here?" The soft spoken keyboardist asked. She was the only girl of the group, and, he hoped, the one who would let him out.

Clay took a breath and tried his hardest to stop his voice from shaking, "M-my band found out you guys were competing against us and-I promise I wasn't gonna steal your songs! We realized how much slimmer our chances of winning became so," He took another breath, "I snuck in to get an idea of what we were up against."

The four students looked at him, checking for sincerity.

"Give us a second." George narrowed his eyes at the blond, causing his posture to subconsciously fix itself. _W_ _eird._

They formed their own circle to quietly discuss.

Clay wondered if he could just slip out while they were distracted, but before he could attempt his escape the practice doors opened with a _bang!_

"Hello ghosts!" The tall, curly haired man entered the room. He exuded an aura of confidence and, he hated to say it, but coolness. Clay recognized him immediately as Wilbur.

Wilbur noticed the strange circle of his bandmates and even more strange-the tall, flushed, stranger.

He motioned toward Clay with a nod of his head, "Who's this?"

All four of the previously cocky members had shriveled into an energy that matched Clays own.

"O-oh hey Wilbur! We missed you at the start of practice." George nervously greeted him, avoiding eye contact. "He's a new student here."

"Okay? Why is he in my practice room?" Wilbur seemed annoyed.

This time Niki stepped in, "Oh! Um I was just giving him a tour of the school right before practice, you know, haha, um, and he asked if he could sit in for a few songs. I-I-I mean it's just warmup really before you get here so I didn't see the harm." Clay was confused at this quick tone shift. All four of them, while acting like strong lions in charge before, had now become small kittens in comparison to Wilbur.

In order to get suspicions off his back, Clay nodded to what she said. "Yes I'm sorry to have intruded."

Wilbur's angry face shifted into one of a nonchalant smirk. "It sure is hard to turn down fans, I understand guys."

 _Humble him_ Clay thought to himself.

"Fan? Are you guys well known or something?" Clay hid the mischief in his voice.

"Huh? You mean you don't know who we are?" Wilbur looked thrown. _Perfect_.

"No I've never heard of you before."

Wilbur's face was priceless to Clay, "Wilbur and the Ghosts? From YouTube? There were articles online about us? We-we do gigs all the time?"

Clay was eating up the helplessness in Wilbur's voice. He simply raised his arms and shrugged.

"Wilbur? Wilbur Soot?" He was reaching for something that Clay was not willing to give up.

"Sorry. Well, thanks for the tour Niki I better head to my dorm. I wouldn't want to intrude on your jam sesh any longer!" With that, Clay gave a sly smile and left the room. His embarrassment had faded away after giving Wilbur that headache.

" _Jam sesh?!"_ He heard Wilbur's voice crack as he walked away.

* * *

Clay had the boys' full attention. They were sitting at the diner and on the edge of their seats.

"You said you would tell us once we got here Clay, c'mon how did it go!" Karl asked excitedly. Clay's face had been unreadable since they all met back up. One moment he would be grinning, the next he would look incredibly upset over something. Karl even saw him cringe once. "You haven't said anything about it yet."

Clay looked at each of their faces and dove into what happened the hour before. They went through his range of emotions, fear, nerves, giddiness, and at the end were all slapping his back and cheering. The noise had attracted some displeased looks from other customers.

"I am never doing that again. Carry out your own plans from now on, Alex." they all talked and laughed, glad their friend made it out without getting into too much trouble.

"Well, after all that we didn't really get much other than the ghosts' names." Alex pouted, placing his head in his hands.

"Not necessarily." Clay added, "I picked up on something while I was there." They once again looked at Clay with interest, "I was cornered until Wilbur came. They all became, I don't know, submissive or something," all three of them smirked.

"Oh? they became-"

"Shut up Alex, you know what I mean. Wilbur was this cocky, well I don't wanna say jerk but first impressions were not in his favor. Anyways, it's obvious he has all the spotlight and knows it, which gives us hope."

"How?" Nick questioned.

"Well we play as equals-as friends. How long until they get fed up with performing in Wilbur's shadow, you know? No matter how much talent you have, you can't hide feelings on stage."

"So you're saying we tell the ghosts' that Wilbur-"

"No. I'm not saying anything. If they implode, leave it to them. I don't wanna meddle. I trust us, I trust our skill. We don't need to cheat to win." Clay smiled at his friends. "Moving on, I say dinner should be on Alex."

"WHAT!" He squealed.

"I second that." Karl added.

"Third."

"Come on guys!"

Clay chuckled at his bandmates. Slowly, his mind started to wander.

_George, huh._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dnf interaction for you guys! Let me know how you're liking the fic so far, thank you so much for reading!


	4. Anonymous Naming

The school week had passed, finally signaling hours of practice for the boys. After warming up with a few songs, they became antsy and decided now was the time for a name to be picked.

"How should we do it? I have a few ideas I guess but how do we narrow it down?" Nick shrugged, looking toward Clay for some leadership.

"We should start by writing them down somewhere." Clay responded.

"What if it was, like, anonymous." Karl added, looking to his friends. "We could write them on little pieces of paper and lay them out but I feel like we shouldn't know who wrote what."

The three others saw no problem with Karl's anonymous idea and began brainstorming band names.

While Alex finished incredibly quickly, it took about 20 minutes for everyone to get their papers dropped into Alex's extra beanie.

"Why do you carry around an extra hat, Alex?" Nick looked at him confused.

"Well it's not like I can take this one off. You never know when you'll need another." His friends decided to drop the subject, some of them realizing they've never seen him without his beanie on.

Clay interjected by shaking up the paper in his extra beanie. Each member put in at least 2 suggestions to decide on. Some felt more confident than others in their names, but stood around the hat excitedly nonetheless. All sat on bean bag chairs forming a circle, Clay quickly flipped the hat and let paper fall and scatter on the floor between them. The boys, all acting unreasonably feral, grabbed at the papers to look at what was written down.

"Cedar Rapids? Isn't that a place?"

"The Quacks?"

"Quackity and the boys-I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU ALEX!" Karl threw the slip of paper at his friend who was unable to respond due to his violent laughter. "Some of us wanted to take this seriously, Alex!" Karl fumed.

"You have the balls to say that to me when you wrote down Honk? Just Honk?"

"Wha- you have no proof that ones mine!"

"I watched you write it down." 

Karl looked at Alex, hurt, "That was supposed to be a secret. We wrote them anonymously!"

The name deciding had quickly derailed into, well whatever was happening now, and half the names remained unopened.

"We still have more to look through, guys, c'mon." Nick started opening slips of paper again.

They opened the remaining papers feeling dejected. Once again they failed to come up with a good enough name for themselves. Karl flipped himself upside down on his beanbag hoping to send more ideas to his head when something caught his eye.

"Wait, there's one more." he pointed in between Clay and Alex's beanbags. Clay reached over and grabbed the small slip of paper. He opened it and read the name to himself.

"Oh my god."

The three others scrambled behind him to read the note for themselves.

"Woah-who wrote it?"

The group stayed silent.

"Maybe we should, just, use it. Unless someone wants the credit, there's no use prying over who came up with it." Clay said.

"Well we know it's not Quackity." 

"Yup that's my name!" Alex grinned, resulting in Karl pushing his face away and laughing.

Clay grabbed his phone and emailed the people behind the Battle of the Bands.

* * *

Hello! 

This is Clay, my band entered the 'Best Amateur Rock Band 2021' competition but we did not have a name yet.

Sorry it took some time but our name will be

**The Dream Team**

Thank you!   
  


Sincerely, Clay

* * *

"Dude I don't know how to write emails, I'm not my mom." Clay groaned, wondering if he sounded too immature or repetitive.

"Who cares, I think it looks good enough." Alex patted Clay on the back. He walked over to his guitar and began packing it up. "OH I almost forgot to tell you! We were invited to a party!"

The boys perked up at the mention of a party.

"One of the bands from the competition is having all the other bands at his place. You know... good sportsmanship and all that. It's this Saturday."

"Today’s Friday."

"Yeah so it's tomorrow." Alex replied, oblivious to his friends annoyance. 

"How did you even find out?" Nick questioned.

"I know people. Anyways, wanna go you guys?" 

"I don't think my parents would be up for the idea of me going to a band party. They already hate the band part." Karl sighed, frustrated at his parents unwillingness to support his drumming. With one member out, the other three had agreed to attend.

Clay didn't think much of the party until he realized Wilbur and the Ghosts would have also received the invite. The thought of getting caught by Wilbur was out shined by the excitement of seeing George once more.

Although he has still yet to admit it, the bassist's cocky face was imprinted in his brain. He fell asleep thinking about their conversation and woke up in the morning wondering if he's had breakfast yet. This cycle started when he met the boy and has been playing out ever since. Somewhere deep in his heart he understood what this meant, but Clay pushed everything he felt down. 

_They're the competition_ he thought _I'm just thinking about how to beat him-them._

"Well, I'll see you two at the party tomorrow," Alex waved at the group and left the garage.

"I should probably dip too," Karl sighed, "Sorry I can't go." 

"We get it, don't worry. See you at practice Sunday." Nick smiled at his downcast friend.

This left Nick and Clay together. They knew each other the longest, since middle school, and have been close friends since then. Because of their many years together, Nick could easily pick up on Clays odd behavior.

"Are you gonna tell me what's up?" 

Clay tried to act surprised at his claim, but realized he couldn't fool Nick, "I'm just really-confused. I don't wanna get too into it, though," If he said it out loud, then it would be real. "I'm trying to keep my mind on practice and the band but stuff's just, weird right now." he chose his words very carefully, desperately trying to stay vague but still giving Nick an acceptable answer.

His friend pat him on the back, "Hey I won't pry too much or anything, but I'm here for you. Don't get all worked up over band, either. We'll be fine. Let's just look forward to getting shitfaced at the party tomorrow, huh?" The boys shared a smile and Clay felt lucky. Lucky he had, not only a friend like Nick, but also lucky he had Karl and Alex. He was sure his brain would fix itself soon, allowing him to get back on track.

He was going for gold. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys are excited for the party! i know george is ;)


	5. The Party p.1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // UNDERAGE DRINKING

Clay, Alex, and Nick's uber had pulled up to the two story house. They knew they were at the right place seeing cars parked along the entire block and heard loud music playing from the house. They all got out and approached the house together.

"I'm meeting up with some people here so you might not see me much," Alex said, "have fun guys!" with that, he opened the door and disappeared for the night.

"Guess it's just you and me." Clay sighed.

"Wow don't sound too excited." Nick retorted, earning a small laugh from his friend. 

Walking inside, the boys found many groups of people grouped up, a large karaoke machine, and many wasted teenagers. The karaoke machine was very populated, seemingly by lead singers from the bands that were here.

Clay was thinking about one thing, not getting caught. It was very likely that Wilbur's band would be here, meaning he had to find a way to avoid the fluffy haired front man. The ghosts went easy on him but who knows what Wilbur would do if he found out Clays true identity before their performance. There were a lot of people here, so he figured he could make it through the night.

"HEY!" The karaoke mic radiated a loud voice throughout the room, calling all eyes to the person holding it. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?!" venom spilled out of the mans slurred tongue. The all too familiar lead singer dropped his mic and sauntered over to where Clay was standing. Most of the party goers ignored them past this point and went back to their cups. Wilbur took a swig of his and cocked his head to the side, looking at Clay with a puzzled, then amused grin. " _Ohhhh I get it now."_

Clay could not believe how awful his luck was. It was like he was playing a stealth mission in a video game and somehow managed to get caught as soon as the round started. He was frozen, stuck. Nothing could get him out of the shit he let himself fall into.

"It seems like, you _do_ know who we are. I mean if you didn't, you wouldn't have snuck in to get the upper hand." Clay pushed down the urge to roll his eyes. Wilbur seemed to only care about the fact that Clay said he didn't recognize him. What an asshole. "I guess I understand, learning you'd be going against Wilbur Soot must have been a big shock." an incredibly punchable smirk laid across Wilbur's face. 

"Hey dude we're really sorry about that, if you let us explain-" Nick's attempt at peace was cut off.

"Explain? First off I don't even know who you are, and secondly, nothing you could have tried to do would have increased your chance against us." Nick scoffed in disbelief, unsure if what he heard was correct, "I look forward to playing against you two, maybe we could hold a scrimmage or something. That way you can see what you're up against in person." Wilbur took another sip from his solo cup, grinned at the boys, and walked away.

After a moment of silence, Nick turned towards his friend, "What the fuck?" Clay's face was completely dumbfounded by the conversation he just had.

"Let's, ugh, let's just get some drinks now." Nick nodded and the two made their way to the kitchen for some much needed alcohol.

* * *

A few cups later, Clay had found himself buzzed and his friend sloppy. Nick had wandered away and was now playing beer pong with people equally as gone as him. Now on his own, Clay awkwardly sipped his drink. He found a spot on a couch, watching someone perform some Katy Perry song on karaoke. He regretted coming to the party. Nothing about this party was fun for him. Both his friends ditched him; not to be mean or anything, they were just too intoxicated to notice him wallowing. Maybe even worse than that, he was also terrified of another confrontation from Wilbur, who was currently schmoozing up a group of people around him. Clay was about to find the boys to tell them he was about to call an uber when,

"I know you're name _noww_!" a voice spoke directly into Clays ear, causing him to jump and turn around.

His eyes were met with brown, half lidded ones. The blushing face held a grin, "You're Clay!" 

Suddenly, the idea of leaving this party melted from his brain.

"And you're George!" he responded, matching the boys exact tone.

George was very obviously drunk as he leaned on the couch for support. "I f-found out what your name is Clay. Wanna know how? It's a secret! I asked about you!" _Not much of a secret anymore,_ Clay thought to himself, "Some guy named Quackity told me your name. Clay." 

"How long have you been here? And uh, how much did you drink?" Clay stood up and led the boy by his wrist to the couch. George plopped down and took a drink from his cup.

"Hmmm, hmmm, uhmmm, I don't know!" George giggled, causing Clay to chuckle at him as well. "You looked so sad just now Clay, why?" George's overuse of his name caused little flips in his stomach each time he said it. 

"I didn't have anyone to talk to here." Clay responded. George jutted out his bottom lip.

"That's so sad-wait! Now I'm here so you have someone to talk to!" Georges face lit up. He poked Clay's cheeks. _His hands are so cold._ "You should smile now!"

Clay let out a small laugh

"Look! A smile!" George patted his head, "Now you look handsome!" Clays eyes went wide at his word choice. His cheeks began to heat up.

"I-um, so I'm gonna get some more to drink." 

"OOH! Get me some pleaseee?" George begged, holding his empty cup out to the blond. He quickly grabbed it and escaped to the kitchen.

He filled up the cups and took a deep breath. _What the hell was that? Why did he say that?_ He hoped more alcohol would calm the slight panic building inside of him. He took a quick shot, grabbed the cups, and went back to the couch.

George was making conversation with someone who had taken Clays seat. 

He felt embarrassed, maybe he should just leave George and this party. He didn't want to intrude.

"Clay! You took sooo lonnggg!" George shouted, breaking Clay's thought. "My friend was sitting here, can you move please?" Once again shocked at his brazenness, Clay slowly approached the now empty spot on the couch. He handed the brunette his cup and took a large sip of his own. "I missed you!" 

_Gulp._

Clay hoped the 'liquid courage' would kick in soon, he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle only buzzed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clay got caught omg  
> Hope you guys are looking forward to the next party of this party. I wonder what these two drunk teenagers will talk about?


	6. The Party p.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // UNDERAGE DRINKING

Clay had made his way through a few more cups, definitely not as gone as George but he sure was on his way. The confidence he prayed the bitter alcohol would instill in him had finally come.

"Music is all I've got. It's-it's all I want to got, get, fuck," Clay laughed at his own stumbled words as George intently listened to his babbling. "I want to win so bad. I thought it was for the team but I just-want to win. I have nothing without music."

"But, d-didn't you say you played a buncha sports or something, Clay." George questioned.

"That was just noise, not the kind I wanted though. Does that make sense? I don't even know what I'm saying, George. All I know, okay, all I _know,_ is that I would pour every piece of myself into my music and I don't even know why. I need something at all times, I need to be the best at something, or I'm nothing."

George took another sip from his cup, "You're an interesting guy, Clay."

"Why do you keep saying my name like that." The question flowed out of his mouth before he even knew what he was saying. 

"Like what?" George giggled. 

"Like _that,_ I don't know. The way you say it." He mumbled out. George cocked his head, his face still flushed from the alcohol. Before Clay could release any more word vomit, their attention was pulled to the middle of the living room. 

Wilbur held the karaoke mic, when he started singing a small crowd around him cheered.

George scoffed, "Here, too?" Clay looked at the boy and urged him to continue, "This happens everywhere we go. _The Wilbur Show."_ He spit out the last phrase with so much disgust it made Clay feel slightly sick. "He-he just always needs alllll the attention on him. Yeah he can sing so what? We are on the stage with him too you know!" It looked like he was now speaking to the crowd, "Niki, Toby, Tommy and I are always pushed to the back. I'm just sick of his shit."

George attempted to stand up, eyes locked on Wilbur about to approach him, but his drunken state was not happy with his sudden movement and knocked him back to the couch.

"Maybe let's not confront him right now." Clay had lost most of his rationality to his drunken state, but held enough to know now wasn't the time to pick a fight.

"The band used to be fun. It's not fun anymore, Clay." George let out a sigh and Clay could sense the sadness that filled him.

"Well let's make tonight fun!" Clay smiled, wanting to cheer him up. 

"Tonight has been fun."

"More fun! Let's go outside or something!" 

George nodded, slowly rising from his spot, holding onto the slightly-more stable Clay for support. Once fully up, the two stumbled their way to the front yard.

The air was cool, but absent of wind. As soon as Clay stepped out he took a breath of the air, not realizing how stuffy the house had been. They giggled and held onto each other to provide support and warmth, finding a spot of grass and collapsing on it.

Literally collapsing-George had tripped over his feet and took Clay down with him.

"Oops! Sorry Clay!" Clay rubbed his back but let out a wheeze, laughing at the situation. George had rolled himself off Clay and rested his head in the grass. "Woahh Stars!"

The night sky was perfect-an almost full moon, brightly shining stars, and not a single cloud in the sky to block their view. They were on their backs, heads inches apart, staring up at the sight.

"Do you know any constellations?" Clay asked, tilting his head just enough to get a view of Georges side profile.

"The um, what is it, his belt? Ornie's belt or something?" 

"Ornie?" Clay couldn't help but laugh at how cute George was. A giggle fit erupted between them, getting a kick out of nothing.

For a second, the world had stopped spinning and Clays head stabilized. He wasn't sure what time it was, or how much time had passed, but it was as if all that existed was the cool grass, the stars, and George. Be it his drunken brain unable to take in anymore stimuli, or whatever caused everything else to fade away, nothing had ever felt as right as giggling about orions belt under the blanket of the night sky.

"I like your laugh." George had said. He seemed to be slowly sobering up as his words became less and less jumbled.

"Thanks. I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time."

"How come?" The question made Clay think to himself. He wasn't actually sure why it's been so long since he had a good gut laugh. The answer 'because I'm drunk outta my mind' didn't seem to be right. 

"Maybe I'm just really happy right now. I don't know. Also the best laughs happen on your back."

"RIGHT?! Why is that?" At this, Clay and George accidentally both rolled towards the other, bringing the distance between their faces dangerously close. Clay's cheeks heated up while George remained unfazed. "You're eyes are green, right?" He asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah? What do you mean you're looking at them."

"I get my yellows and greens confused. I'm colorblind." 

"Oh, okay. Well yes they're green."

"They look cool."

"c-cool?" Clay had choked out.

"Yeah. You know? Like... pretty!" He smiled after finding the word he seemed to be searching for.

Clays breath had quickened along with his heartbeat. Not wanting to be the only one getting compliments, he quickly replied, "I-I mean you're face is... you know..." _fuck_ "...pretty." Embarrassment made it's way to his ears and face as he cursed his loose lips.

George quietly looked back at Clay, an unreadable expression on his face. _I ruined it fuck I ruined the mood that was too far Clay._

 _"_ It's strange." George said, rolling onto his back again, "I can hear the party inside, and I'm sure it's fun in there, but I have no desire to move from this spot."

"Well you are drunk and tired." Clay answered, following his gaze back to the stars.

"No-no it's something else I think."

"oh."

A comforting silence fell over them, no other words were necessary now.

* * *

The silence had continued until Clay heard his name shouted.

"CLAY WHERE ARE YOU WE'RE LEAVING."

Clay slowly sat up, putting a hand behind him to keep him upright. George stayed in his position while Clay looked around. He locked eyes with Alex, "There you are dude, we've been looking for you! It's time to go crash at Nicks." Clay noticed Nick trailing behind Alex like a zombie.

Clay glanced down at George. "Hey uh, how are you getting home?"

"Wilbur and I are leaving together I just gotta find him." He sat up.

"Wilbur? I think he left already." Alex added. George looked at him with confusion.

"What? N-no he said we'd get an uber together and... did he really?" He sighed. Alex gave a somber nod. George looked down to the grass and Clay swore he saw tears swelling in his eyes.

"Well what if you stay with us for the night? I don't wanna leave you alone here. Nick probably wouldn't care, right?" 

"Sleepoverr at minee!" Nick slurred out, holding onto Alex's stable shoulders.

"I wouldn't want to intrude on you guys."

"I mean I'm just gonna pass out as soon as we get there, you're not intruding on anything." Alex reassured.

Clay smiled at George, hoping he'd say yes.

"Thanks guys." Clay and George slowly stood up and made their way to the uber Alex called.

"Are you sober?" Clay asked his beanie wearing friend.

"I figured someone had to be." He responded, helping his friends into the car.

Before he drifted off to sleep in the car, Clay couldn't help but replay what happened in his mind, praying he wouldn't forget anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this between classes lol  
> but i hope you guys like it! i had no clue where to go with this chapter but i think the stargazing turned out well! thank you so much for reading!


	7. The Offer Still Stands

Clay woke up to the sun peeking through the small garage windows, causing him to groggily shift on his beanbag in an attempt to shield the light from his eyes. While not unbearable, he noticed a headache quietly pounding in his head, made worse by all the sudden light. He blinked his eyes open and checked his surroundings. 

He saw Alex passed out on a beanbag. Still looking around the room, he moved his eyes at the body directly beside his own beanbag. George had curled up on the floor, covered in an old blanket Clay had found for him that night. He slept with a pleasant face, Clay had decided. He looked a lot more graceful than Alex did. 

Before he could continue to admire any longer, George began to stir, seemingly awoken by the same sunlight. He stretched out his arms and legs and rubbed his eyes. Clay clumsily turned his body in the opposite direction, yawning in an attempt to feign just waking up. 

"Uhh.." George grumbled, looking around the unfamiliar room he had spent the night in. Clay turned his head towards him, "Oh!" realization and relief filled his voice as his eyes met Clays. The brunette gave a light grin at the blond. "Good morning!"

Clay smiled in return, "Morning. How did you sleep? Do you want water or an advil or anything?"

"Oh I never get hangovers, and I slept well, you?"

 _Of course the perfect human didn't get hungover_ "Yeah I slept pretty good." Upon saying this, the events of last night began to clear in his mind as the visual of Georges face so close to his appeared. His ears began to heat up and he wished he could hide his embarrassment. "W-well since I'm normal I better get myself some water." 

"Oh, normal huh? You're just jealous I woke up better than you."

"Yeah right, alien."

"You're an idiot." _Badum._ The way his morning voice rasped out that phrase made Clay's heart twinge, he had to get out of there.

Clay simply laughed and left towards the house in search of water and pain relievers but instead found Nick holding all of that, plus a plate of eggos in his arms. Clay instinctively reached out to grab the water bottles that were slowly leaving Nicks grasp. "Thanks Clay. Did you just get up?"

"Yeah a few minutes ago. Uh thanks for letting George crash here too." 

He eyed his friend up, then gave Clay a smirk. "Mmhm, no problem."

"Why did you say it like that?" Clay asked, laughing a little. Nick just shrugged and walked into the garage. 

"RISE AND SHINE ALEX." He grabbed one of the water bottles from Clay and launched it at Alex's stomach.

"AUGHH!" He groaned, opening his eyes, "WHAT THE HELL!?" Nick laughed and set down the plate and advil. He grabbed an eggo and started eating it.

Clay handed Nick and then George a water. "Take it anyways." He said to the brunette.

"Thanks."

After a minute the boys grabbed their eggo's and recalled their mistakes of the night.

"Nick's such a sloppy drunk." Alex laughed.

"Hey you would have been the same had you drank too! Actually-no- _you_ would have been worse than me!" 

They bickered and laughed while eating their breakfast. 

"Thanks so much for letting me sleep here, Nick. I better get back to the dorms." The boys waved as George shot a smile directly at Clay before he walked out.

* * *

After a few hours the boys had broken from their morning slump and called Karl over to start practice.

"How was the party?" Karl asked, getting set up by the drum set.

"I had fun." Nick replied.

"Nick got shitfaced. Oh I took some videos here look!" Alex walked over to the drummer and the two giggled at whatever stupid thing Nick had been doing.

"HEY!" This resulted in a chase between Nick and Alex, circling around the small space while Nicks slurred voice radiated out of the phone. During this commotion, Clay felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the screen.

< the scrimmage offer still stands >

After the initial confusion, Clay realized Wilbur somehow got his number and sent him this. "Hey uh, Wilbur said something to me last night that I kinda dismissed but," Upon hearing the lead singers name, the three other boys gathered around Clays phone.

"A what?"

"It like... a practice performance. We would play for them and they would play for us so we can gauge each others skills." Clay explained. They all looked between each other.

"Well we should do it, right?" Karl said, shrugging, "I mean we can see how good they are." 

"Sure if we wanna embarrass ourselves." Alex groaned.

"Don't say that, we're good too." Nick lightly pushed his friends shoulder, "It's just a practice thing anyways, no big deal." 

"No way, if they're better than us we're never gonna hear the last of it. It'll just bum us out. Right, Clay?" Alex looked to Clay for a response. 

They _all_ looked to Clay for a response.

He paused and thought for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. He looked back to his phone after getting another notification.

< i get it if youre too scared to >

"We're doing it." 

"Poggers!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it's a little short, filler is pretty hard for me to write so I try to get to the main bits as fast as possible lol. Anyways next chapter will be more involved! Thanks for reading!


	8. Serenade?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer and pretty song oriented, I tried to time up the writing (especially the Creep performance) as best as I could to the actual song so if you want to listen while you read I would recommend trying it! I put all the song titles and band names in so you can listen to them yourself if you wanna! I hope you guys like this chapter I'm pretty proud of it!

They had decided to meet for the scrimmage the upcoming Thursday after classes. The Dream Team had met up to work on the two songs they'd perform. They decided to pull songs they had a lot of practice with, keeping their competition setlist hidden from the competition. The boys felt both nerves and excitement wash over them after entering the posh building.

"What is this place, hogwarts?" Karl exclaimed, taking in the extravagant entrance. Alex, Clay, and Nick carried their instruments in cases while Karl would borrow the drumset here. 

"Think we'll find 'Arry Potteh?" Alex laughed in his best British accent. The boys laughed along with him, receiving displeased looks from the uniform-clad students passing around them. Clay followed his steps from his last infiltration of the school to the practice room. Upon reaching the room, the four boys were met with a group of students gathered outside of the room. Confused, Clay walked towards the familiar face in the crowd.

"Uh, are you guys watching the performance?" He questioned. The student scoffed at him, much like their first meeting. 

"Wilbur's gonna wipe the floor with you guys."

"Do you know 'Arry Potteh?!" Alex shouted, jumping out from behind Clays tall figure. The startled kid ignored his question and accent to turn towards the opening door.

"Sorry we didn't notice you guys, come in come in!" Toby smiled, beckoning the four in. Clay took a quick scan of the room. _He's not here._ "Wilbur and George are setting up the auditorium right now."

An awkward silence fell over the two groups as eye contact was avoided.

"Um, I'm Nick" He spoke up, breaking the mood. Everyone introduced themselves. 

"Yeah, and you're the dickhead who spied on us." Tommy pointed at an embarrassed Clay. 

Before Clay could respond, Niki cut in "Well we can probably head down now." They all nodded and started towards the auditorium.

"Are those kids gonna watch us?" Alex asked, referring to the students waiting outside the practice room. Niki shook her head no as the Dream Team sighed in relief. Adding pressure was the last thing they needed. 

After a surprisingly long journey through the boarding school halls, two large doors were pushed open to reveal a sickeningly huge space. From where they stood, down many rows of seats there was a large stage space. A drumset and various mic's spread over the stage, as well as many large lights glowing down on the two boys setting up the instruments. Though the distance made him appear even smaller than usual, Clay could make out Georges face as he turned towards the boys. While he wasn't expecting some huge greeting, Clay was surprised to see the frown George sported. He avoided eye contact and ignored their presence. 

"You made it!" Wilbur exclaimed through the mic, the smirk visible on his face and in his voice. Everyone made it down towards the stage, the boys still in awe over how spacious and incredible the auditorium was. All the boys except Clay, of course.

His eyes lay solely on George. If he wasn't being ignored he would be praising the brunette in his mind for looking so cute in his uniform, but the sad look on his face was all Clay could see.

They had exchanged numbers back at the party, which they used to chat for a few days until George completely stopped responding. Clay had assumed he was busy preparing and unable to text back and tried to justify his lack of communication. While being left on read hurt like a pinch on his arm, whatever was happening now felt like he'd just been socked in the stomach. The irrational pain over a boy he'd had known for such a short time puzzled him.

He was losing focus.

"I'm Wilbur." The fluffy haired boy grinned, sticking his hand out to Alex.

"I'm Quackity, that's Sapnap, there's Karl, and..." the boy paused to look at Clay, ignoring the 'what the fuck' faces his bandmates were making "And that's Dream!" 

"You have stage names?" Wilbur questioned?

Three 'no's' and one 'yes' answered simultaneously. 

"O...kay. Well let's flip the coin to see who plays first. Heads or tails?" Wilbur directed his question at the newly introduced 'Dream'.

"Heads." He responded quickly. The front man flipped the quarter and slapped it down on the top of his hand. He unveiled it with a smirk.

"Tails it is. You guys can go first."

The Dream Team scattered around the stage, trying to plug in instruments with shaky hands. They couldn't shake their nerves. Three of the boys had sweaty palms from the performance while Clay was worried he had done something to upset George.

Wilbur and the Ghosts had found their way in the audience, luckily hidden by the darkness that covered the entire auditorium. Well, the entire auditorium with the exception of the stage. The lights had highlighted the gulps and tremors sported by the four members. After a notable amount of time getting settled in, Clay turned to make eye contact with his friends. They all nodded and took a deep breath.

"ONE TWO THREE FOUR." Karl clanged his drumsticks together counting the boys down to the first song. The boys decided making the songs fit together wasn't as important as performing what they knew best, so their song choices ended up fairly different from each other.

After the countdown, the boys started playing the beginning of "Everybody Talks" by the Neon Trees, which they had played more times than any of them could count.

The dark abyss presented in front of them was intimidating, knowing 5 pairs of eyes laid on them as they did their best to ignore the gazes.

 _"Hey baby won't you look my way, I can be your new addiction,"_ Clay's head was filled with lyrics and questions, hoping the two wouldn't conflict to ruin the performance. Luckily, as soon as he started singing, the lyrics won the battle in his mind and he was completely absorbed by the song. The upbeat 2012 tune was lifting the four boys' spirits as they slowly surrendered to the noise and left behind the fear.

The chorus flowed freely and without any noticeable mistakes, a few voice cracks had found their way out but Clay had completely ignored them. Nick and Alex backed up his voice with echoes and vocalizations, making the sound feel fuller and more alive. The five person audience escaped their brains as they found their way back into Nick's garage, playing only for each other (and occasionally Nick's mom). 

The song seemed to have ended as soon as it began, leaving the boys gasping for more. The energy on the stage was incredible, the chemistry between them all very apparent. They took a second to gather themselves after it finished, getting ready for the mood switch. It was going to be a bit awkward but the four of them agreed "Creep" by the Talking Heads was sure to get a good reaction from their crowd. 

Karl took a deep breath and once again counted the boys off, signaling to start. The slow but powerful nature of the song had begun as they got into the new tone and feel. 

_"When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye,"_ Clay was suddenly reminded of the scene from earlier, the cold shoulder he received after entering the auditorium.

 _"You're just like an angel, your skin makes me cry,"_ His song now had more passion behind it. He couldn't help but picture George's flushed face laying next to his own, the way his heart fluttered anytime he received a compliment from the boy. The denial in his brain couldn't withstand the truth in his heart as his words held so much meaning. His lie was overrun by the undeniable truth his voice could no longer mask. He didn't have enough time to register what was happening as the performance carried on.

The chorus and instrumentals hit all the points they wanted, conveying the intensity of the song as best as they could. Once again Clay had sprinkled in a few accidental voice cracks that only amplified their performance. Without having to look or speak to each other, the Dream Team moved and played in their own chaotic harmony that seemed to suit them perfectly.

 _"What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here,"_ The extremely blinding lights from before had slowly turned into the perfect spotlight into his soul, as silly as it sounds. This stage had finally felt natural to all of them as they adjusted to the environment.

 _"I want you to notice, when I'm not around."_ He stared in front of him, so sure even without the ability to see him, that he was looking directly at George. He could feel it. This song was now to him, whether Clay intended it or not. Was it like a serenade? Clay was pretty sure that was for love songs and this was definitely not one of those. The emotion dripping off his words had a new edge he could never reach before in practice, he felt like his guts were laid out in front of him. His most vulnerable self was exposed to the one person he wouldn't dare let see him. The song had continued on, building and building, until the bridge finally hit.

_"She's, running out the door. She's, running out, she run" Building._

_"run" Build._

_"run" More._

_**"run"**_ Clay found himself almost screaming as he dragged the note out, letting his face redden from the sheer energy he released through his words. He had to take quick breaths afterwards, recovering from the intensity. 

_"run."_

_"Whatever makes you happy, whatever you want."_ Clay found his eyes brimming with tears as he continued, letting the emotion course through his words. It felt as though he was deflated, on the verge of passing out, using up everything he had in him to finish the lyrics. Everything melted away as it had once before, but this time instead of seeing only stars, he could feel only the music surrounding him.

_"What the hell am I doin here? I don't belong here."_

_"I don't belong here."_ He took a breath as the instrumentals finished. A short pause was followed by applause from the crowd. The boys looked to each other and smiled as Clay quickly and subtly wiped his eyes. They packed up their instruments and exited the platform.

"That was fucking awesome." Alex whisper yelled as they made their way to the seats.

Wilbur and George passed by them quietly onto the stage while Toby, Tommy, and Niki smiled and gave a few 'good job's' to them. Clay was exhausted and basically collapsed in a seat, once again feeling unsettled by the constant ignoring. The five member band began plugging in instruments and readying themselves for their own performance.

"If this was the actual competition, I think we would have won." Karl whispered excitedly.

"We haven't even heard them play yet." Nick responded.

"Okay but seriously, how can they top that?" Alex said, quietly high fiving Karl. Clay was already checked out, unable to contribute to the conversation.

The mic picked up Wilbur's tapping "We are Wilbur and the Ghosts." He spoke. The four ended their talking and turned towards the stage.

A siren like sound echoed throughout the auditorium as Niki and Toby started vocalizing. Clay had recognized this as the beginning of "Choke" by IDK HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME. The instruments and vocals built up until Wilbur's debut.

 _"Stop, drop-and drag me into place, and lock the fire escapes,"_ immediately the boys had taken notice of the front mans insane stage presence. He pulled you in and left you begging for more.

_"Yeah, yeah"_

The boys shifted uncomfortably as their sheer talent was already radiating out to them. Not a note or instrument out of sync, they played like a perfect recording. As the 'Ghosts' lacked any facial expressions, Wilbur had captivated the four of them and he knew it. A smirk danced on his face as he gripped the mic, moving his body to the beat.

 _"Now shut your dirty mouth, if I could burn this town."_ The Dream Team found their jaws had unconsciously dropped as they played.

 _"To smile while you suffocate and died."_ The lyrics had shivers going down the four of their spines but what really sold it was the expressions of Wilbur's face. They all felt the oxygen leaving their lungs as he cast a spell on them.

 _"So bite you tongue and choke yourself to sleep."_ The boys cocky attitude was now completely gone once they truly found who they were up against. Wilbur was out for blood, and he wanted them to know it. No matter how good they played he made sure to make them feel as small as possible. It was as if he had absorbed their excitement and left them with nothing but a slap in the face. They were scolded for being too overconfident.

The rest of the song blurred by, caused by the trance Wilbur had left them in. The final "yeah, yeah's" had finished as the boys finally began to breathe again. This respite was overpowered quickly by the next song.

Another titan of a song, "Why'd You Only Ever Call Me When You're High." by the Arctic Monkeys began. Wilbur took the mic out of the stand and started moving around the stage, forcing all eyes to follow him around. He was so dynamic and captivating as the song slowly picked up and dropped back down. The Dream Team was forcibly dragged along by him, lowering their spirits one by one.

Wilbur had even managed to distract Clay from George, unable to remove the singer from his sight. 

Once again they found themselves shuddering, Wilbur had exceeded all their expectations, the online videos really didn't do him justice. Watching him perform live was so extremely disheartening and enchanting at the same time. 

Unlike in the original song, the band had played up the final _"Why'd you only ever call me when you're high."_ Intensifying the instruments and vocals as Wilbur effortlessly belted out the lines. The hope in the foursomes eyes had died, leaving behind a husk of a dream. They had felt pretty comfortable about the competition until todays showcase, proving Wilbur and the Ghosts were popular for a reason. As the song finally finished, they applauded the band. 

Despite their own impressive performance, it felt obvious they were one-upped by the second band.

"Thanks for coming out guys, this was fun!" Wilbur had grinned down at them from the stage.

The boys had gotten up and made their way out of the giant auditorium.

"Holy shit. We're _so_ fucked." Alex blinked in disbelief.


	9. Too Strong, Too Sweet

The scrimmage really did a number on the Dream Team. They decided to go back to Nick's afterwards, riding there in a stunned silence. Whatever they were expecting was exceeded, and everyone felt it. Anything that happened prior to Wilbur and the Ghosts' had been erased, their confidence was officially shot. The uncomfortable car ride finally came to an end as the boys trudged into Nick's garage.

The first voice breaking the silence was Karl, "What _was_ that?" Everyone looked at him and let out tragic laughs. They felt so-hopeless. They lost and the competition hadn't even started yet.

The Dream Team wasn't able to watch their own act, and the feeling onstage didn't translate well after watching the monster of a performance after them. No matter how well they felt about themselves, they got to see with their own eyes what Wilbur was capable of. He was the definition of attractive, not just in a "what-a-good-looking-young-man" way, but a physical attraction. You just couldn't help but focus on him. 

"You know what's weird, I don't really remember anything except for Wilbur. Right?" Alex added, exchanging nods with the others. 

Although Clay was conflicted about it, he couldn't lie and say Wilbur hadn't occupied his mind as he sang. His eyes didn't even drift over to the bassist like he expected them to, only after Wilbur's last note did he finally glance at the still sad face of George.

"Are we like that?" Karl asked. Clay quickly shook his head.

"I'm nothing like Wilbur on the stage. We perform as a team."

"Let's hope the judges are giving out points for 'great teamwork' or else we're screwed." Nick sighed.

The four of them quickly grew tired of the pity party and decided to leave the wallowing for later. They left behind their instruments and traded up for controllers in Nicks room.

"We've got a whole month to prepare for our final battle with Wilbur and the Ghosts, let's just ask Nick's mom for snacks and go play video games." Clay smiled.

"I'll ask her, we're really close." Karl replied.

"What?"

"Yeah, I mean I was with her last night." 

"SHUT UP KARL I HATE YOU!"

< hey i'm sorry for being weird today i was just stressed about the scrimmage >

< would you wanna meet up for coffee tomorrow? ill pay :) >

_What?_

Clay stared down at his phone, frozen for a moment. George hadn't texted in days and he's asking him for coffee out of the blue? 

Before he could hide his phone away the text had already caught Karl's eye.

"George? who's that?"

"O-oh George, you didn't meet him really, well you did kinda, but he was at the party and-"

"He's the bassist for Wilbur and the Ghosts." Nick had interjected, saving Clay from anymore embarrassment.

"What does he want, still rubbing that loss in our faces?" Alex peeked over at the texts. "Woah free coffee?"

Nick had glanced over at Clays face, picking up on the hints his facial expression dropped. "Do you wanna go?" he asked.

Clay looked back at the phone and sighed, trying his best to control his feelings. "Yeah, I mean why not? Free coffee just like Alex said." 

This was incredibly unexpected. Clay was still having a hard time grappling with the reality of hanging out with George-alone- _sober_ -the thought of it caused goosebumps to erupt on his arms. The indescribable feeling of wanting to see the boy so bad his heart hurt while also wanting so desperately to hide away from him forever tore apart at him. Denial stayed fresh in his mind as he repressed both sides and tried to remain indifferent.

"Hold on, this could be really good. Better than free coffee." Alex pointed at Clays phone

"BETTER than free coffee?" Karl echoed.

"Yeah, cuz it's free coffee and a win." The three shot Alex confused faces, "Information! It didn't work out last time because we weren't prepared, but now we have an in! George! You can get coffee and casually slip in that they did really good and that you wonder how they're gonna top that! Then he spills!" He was practically bouncing, very proud of his plan.

"I don't know, Alex, that feels kinda-wrong. Like you said it didn't work last time, we could just get into more trouble." Clay said, trying to push this idea out of his friends head. Luckily for Alex, he was too determined to be swayed.

"C'mon, you saw them! Okay fine it doesn't have to be looking for information, but just stay alert incase something slips out."

Clay exhaled the breath he was subconsciously holding in. The pressure of grilling George for "hints" made him feel sick to his stomach. Just seeing George was nerve wracking enough.

"Okay whatever can we play Speedrunners now? I just wanna beat you all as soon as possible." Karl jumped in, ready to move onto the next subject.

"Fuck off!" Alex laughed as the two broke into giggles.

* * *

< let me know when you get here! >

Clay let out a panicked groan, mentally hitting himself for not leaving earlier. He told himself he wasn't gonna leave George waiting for him but, obviously, that didn't really work out. They had planned to meetup at a café about halfway between the two but Clay had underestimated how long he was going to take to get ready. The idea of seeing George was terrifying, especially if he didn't look good. He felt stupid for spending so much time trying to look presentable for someone he barely knew, and in the end he payed the price by ruining his punctuality.

After frantically looking for a parking spot, he left his car and rushed to the front doors. He slowed as he approached the boy standing outside.

George had on a giant, puffy black coat, a knit beanie, and a blue and white striped scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. His cheeks were pink from the cold and he smiled and waved Clay over. He suddenly felt 10 times worse realizing George had waited in the cold for him to arrive.

"Why are you outside, it's freezing!" Clay's worried expression made George giggle.

"Look at me, I'm all bundled up! I don't feel cold at all, so don't worry!" He opened his arms to show off his winter fit. Clay smiled at him, his worry being replaced by the nice, fuzzy feeling George instilled in him.

They walked in the cozy café and found a free table. It was warm and inviting, becoming one more thing calming Clay down. George had ordered some sweet, syruppy coffee while Clay got something stronger and simpler.

"How can you drink that? It's so strong!"

"What? It's not black coffee you know. It could be stronger." Clay paused, "You're just a baby."

"I AM NOT! A lot of people think coffee is too strong, you're the weird one here."

"Yeah sure. How much sugar is in yours again?" Clay smirked down at the brunette who simply crossed his arms and scoffed. After settling in and getting a few sips of coffee, George looked down at his fiddling hands and spoke.

"I wanted to apologize about ghosting you."

Clay looked at Georges face, his scowl reminiscent of the one he wore at the scrimmage. "O-oh, It's okay, I get it. I mean you guys were preparing for the performance there must not have been a lot of time to-"

"NO!" He paused and looked at Clay in horror, "S-sorry! I didn't mean to yell and cut you off but," he took a breath, "That's not the only reason I ignored you. I mean yes it has to do with the scrimmage but, to be honest it was Wilbur."

_Oh god they're dating_

"He told me texting you was a bad idea; something about us being enemies or whatever. He said I wasn't 100% devoted to the band if I was talking with you."

_They're not dating_

"Really? That's awful. Not just because it was me, just, making decisions for you like that? But, you know, why did you listen?" Clay felt bad about asking as soon as he saw Georges face shift. 

"I'm really sorry. I know I shouldn't have, he's just kinda the guy we listen to. We all got to where we are because of him so the four of us see him a a leader. He isn't a bad guy I swear! He's just very... passionate."

"Wilbur did not get you where you are. Without you guys, all he has is his voice. Your instrumentals are insane! When I tell you the boys and I were impressed I mean it!" Clay softened his voice, "Don't put yourself down, you're as important to the group as Wilbur is."

"If that were true we'd be called George and the Ghosts." He laughed and leaned in, "Can I tell you a secret?"

Clay nodded.

"Wilbur's scared." The blonde was surprised, "After you guys left he was freaking out, telling us to meet up two times more for practice, pick out better songs for the competition, he was pacing like crazy! None off us ever saw him like that."

"Why was he scared?"

George laughed and bonked Clay on the forehead, "Cause you guys were good, duh! He realized first place wasn't just gonna be handed to him. I mean, we all thought you guys did incredible." Clay couldn't help the smile forming on his face.

"We did the same thing. All of us figured our chances were pretty much shot after seeing you guys."

"WHAT?! How? You would have won if that performance was being judged. You're singing was so... emotional, or something."

Clay had to stifle the incoming laugh. It felt very ironic he was complimenting Clay about the "emotion" that he inadvertently caused. He took a sip of coffee as George continued.

"Here's another secret, Wilbur sent me here to spy."

"Huh?"

George nodded, "He told me to try and get some insider information for us, he's that shaken." George thought for a second and quickly interjected, "I-I am not trying to spy, though. I invited you here genuinely to apologize and catch up. I'm not trying to use you."

"Honestly, Alex said the same thing to me. When you invited me he told me to 'keep my ears peeled for information'." The two laughed at the similarity of their situations.

"We're awful spies." George grinned. Clay chuckled and nodded.

"You should tell Wilbur you're actively spying on me so we can hangout more!" Clay was caught up in the moment, but as soon as his said it he regretted it. _Hangout more? Are you and idiot, Clay?_

"Yes! Totally! Then he'll stop bugging me!" George pointed at him, "You're a _genius_ Clay!"

"Haha, really?" Clay laughed nervously.

"Yup! That means you wanna meetup again, right?" _Holy shit._

"Yeah! For sure!"

"You should say the same thing to your bandmates. We'll be non-spies undercover as spies!"

Clay scoffed, "Wow you worked it all out, huh?"

"That's correct!" George looked down at Clays cup, "See, you can't even finish it it's so gross!"

"What? Shut up it's not gross!"

The two laughed and spent their whole morning and afternoon at that table. Clay was feeling an overwhelming warmness just being around George. The idea of hanging out with him more filled him with such unexplainable joy he couldn't help but smile at whatever the brunette was saying. The last thing on his mind was the competition.

"Ooh, next time we should go ice skating! I haven't been yet this winter!" George suggested.

"I've never been."

"NEVER?" George was shocked as he leaned towards Clay, who shook his head no.

"Okay we have to go! I can show you how, it's so fun!" 

Clay felt a sudden rush of confidence, "I bet I'll be skating circles around you after the first ten minutes."

George shook his head and scoffed, "I'd love to see you try."

"Oh I bet." A smirk sitting on his lips.

The boys finished their drinks and their conversation, looking forward to the next hangout already. Clay hadn't felt this good since stargazing with the brunette and relished in the joy of it all. He didn't want this feeling to ever end.


	10. Hold my Hand for Support!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate every comment you guys leave and I'm so glad you are enjoying the story! Just a lil warning that you may see some angst in the future but I'm sure it's no big deal lol. Anyways thanks again for reading!

After 10 minutes of hopelessly looking for a place to park, Clay finally snagged an empty spot and pulled in. He craned his neck to the side, looking out of the passenger window to get a view of what he was getting himself into. A large, oval ice rink had been constructed outside for families and couples in the winter. While it was still light out, he saw many people making their rounds in the temporary rink. It looked pretty tame in the light, but George had promised it would be glowing after the sun fell.

"I'm so excited! This is gonna be so fun!" Clay shifted his eyes to the beaming brunette sitting next to him. He wore the same winter gear as last time, but with black gloves and a pair of ice skates in his grip.

"I'm glad my dad had an extra set so we didn't have to wait for rentals." Clay replied, reaching to the back and pulling out his fathers old pair.

"Well, let's stop staring and start skating!" George smiled.

"Why did you rhyme? Did you plan that?"

"N-no! I didn't plan... whatever, Clay, let's just go." The boys cheeks flushed in embarrassment as Clay continued to laugh at his nervousness.

They finally left the car and made their way through the snow covered pavement to a coin locker. After switching from boots to blades, the two of them teetered towards the opening. George had grabbed Clay's hand for support and tucked it under his arm. They carefully stepped onto the ice as Clay felt his legs drift apart from one another.

With one hand on the side and the other in Georges own grip, They glided away from the door letting others enter. 

"Okay, so you're gonna push yourself forward with your feet and eventually you'll start sliding before you know it!" George had let go of Clay's hand to readjust.

"WAIT WAIT don't leave me!" Clay shrieked, frantically grabbing at his glove. George looked at the blonde and laughed.

"I'm not leaving you, weirdo, chill out." He grabbed his hand and slowly moved as Clay dragged behind. "You gotta try to help me out a little, Clay, I'm not just gonna pull you the whole time."

Clay clumsily moved his feet as though he was a toddler just learning to walk. Every so often, he would slip a little and hold on that much tighter to Georges hand. As time went on and they made a few more laps around, Clay found himself only grazing the side as his feet seemed to coordinate just a bit better.

"Look at you! You're doing so good!"

"I feel bad for slowing you down, you can skate ahead of me, I think I got the hang of it now." Clay felt embarrassed for making George stick with him. He was sure this wasn't the boys idea of fun.

"No way! I don't wanna leave you by yourself, and you're not holding me back at all." Georges smile reassured Clay as he dropped the subject and began to ease up.

They sang along to the early 2000's pop that blasted through the speakers placed around the perimeter of the rink. The two would skate, stumble, laugh, and continue this cycle for many laps. Every so often Clay would get a few scoots without holding Georges hand, earning an excited round of applause from the shorter boy.

"I never get to do fun stuff on Fridays, I always have practice." George said, almost slipping during his sentence.

"Oh same. The boys seemed kinda annoyed I called out of band but they'll get over it!" Clay chuckled at his own stumble. "I mean, I'm spying for our team, this is important for the competition too!"

"Exactly! I cannot WAIT to tell Wilbur all the juicy secrets I have. You guys are finished!"

"Yeah, right." Clay playfully rolled his eyes, earning a push in his shoulder. This little push was enough to knock Clay off his rhythm as he soon found himself laying on the cool floor.

"OH MY GOD." George bent down to tend to the blonde, "I'm so sorry! I forgot we were on ice and-God I'm so dumb. Are you hurt?" He reached for his hand and helped him into a sitting position. Clay studied the worry on his face for a second before replying.

"I think I'm gonna press charges." He said, stifling the grin he so desperately wanted to display.

George sighed in relief at his friends joking nature, "You idiot." Clay finally grinned at the boy as they scooted to the side, getting back to their feet. "Do you need a break?"

Clay nodded as George once again grabbed his mittened hand and brought them to the exit. They found an open bench to sit and rest their aching feet at.

"Ice skating hurts my feet so bad." George groaned, shaking out his legs in his seat.

"I know, it's so fun though."

"Isn't it? I knew you'd like it!" As the boys rested, they looked towards the rink and realized time had passed and the moon was now out. The rink had a halo of fairy lights lifted above the skaters that added some illumination. Projectors aimed towards the ice displayed an array of colorful, moving patterns that people would glide over. George was right about it being beautiful in the night. "It's a bit of a shame we can't see the stars from all the light here." George sighed.

Upon hearing this remark, Clay dropped his head back and examined the empty sky. "It is a shame, but at least the ice rink looks pretty." He moved his gaze to look at George, who also had his head back. Clay took this opportunity to study his side profile. A small smile graced his lips as he lightly blinked. Snowflakes danced down from the sky and found their way onto George's eyelashes. _He had such pretty eyelashes._

"Oh it's snowing!" He cried excitedly, quickly bringing up his head to look at a now startled Clay. "This is like, the perfect day!"

Clay wanted to put his hand up to his heart in an attempt to stop the rapid beating from making its way to George's ears, but he restrained himself. He was constantly finding himself flustered in the presence of the brunette. "I-it is! Ice skating in the snow is perfect."

George's face very subtly winced as he quickly nodded, "Yeah... for ice skating." Clay was confused at his tone, "Let's get back on the ice, hmm?"

"Oh, sure." 

They waddled over to the rink as Clay instinctively reached for Georges hand. He stared at it for a second, then smiled and grabbed ahold of it. The two picked up speed and weaved through other groups of people, apologizing to frustrated parents and annoyed couples for cutting them off. The held hands for the entirety of the skating, supporting each other and preventing any big falls. They stayed on the ice for a few hours until they grew too tired to continue. The boys switched back into their regular boots and reveled in the freeing of their feet.

"Want hot chocolate before we leave? They have a stand over there." George pointed towards a little truck and Clay nodded. 

They made their way into the sizable line to get hot chocolate. Clay had noticed a teenage couple in front of them holding hands and chatting. Some kind of emotion-most likely jealousy-took over his body as he shot his hand out to grab a hold of George's. He prayed George wouldn't say anything, as he wasn't sure he knew how to explain his strange behavior. He kept his reddened face away from the brunettes sight as he simply stared forward. Clay heard a very quiet chuckle from the boy next to him, who only readjusted their hands to get a better grip.

"I heard they have really good hot cocoa here! With like, ginormous marshmallows!" George said, seemingly unfazed.

Clay cleared his throat and rubbed his cold nose with his free hand, "I just need something warm to hold onto, I'm freezing."

George suddenly removed his hand from Clays and brought both warm gloves up to the blondes cheeks. He smiled, "You're so cute." Clay stood frozen, literally, in place as he attempted to register what was happening. The line inched forward and George disconnected his hands from Clay, leaving a very obvious emptiness on his face.

The boys were surrounded by chatter from the skaters around them, providing background sound for Clays brain. He desperately searched for anything to say; something that would sound cool, or charming, but he was blank. He felt his palms sweating in his mittens and the scarf he wore felt extra suffocating. George would occasionally make some comment about people falling on the ice, how good the hot chocolate would be, and how cold his hands felt. The only replies given were quick, uncomfortable laughs.

"Two hot chocolates with the uh-big marshmallows please!" George smiled at the cashier. Clay realized they made it to the front and began taking out his wallet. Suddenly, George's gloved hand reached over and lightly pushed Clays wallet down, quickly placing the money in the mans hand in exchange for hot cocoa. He turned and gave Clay a smug grin. "I'm not letting you pay."

"What, why?" The blonde questioned, reaching up to take his drink.

"The gentleman always pays for the first date." He blew on his steaming cup and gingerly took a sip, cringing at the heat. Clay's eyes widened for the eight billionth time that night, wondering if his ears had failed him. He trailed behind George like a puppy, still silent.

 _First date? As in-this is a date? As in, a date-date?_ His mind raced until something made his eyebrows furrow.

"Hold on, why are you the gentleman?" Clay finally questioned a still smiling George.

"Of course I'm the gentleman, I thought it was obvious."

Clay looked at him and scoffed, hiding a small smile under his breath. He wasn't exactly sure what all this meant, he still wasn't convinced this wasn't some big trick being played on him by the brit, but a voice in the back of his mind told him to believe. _This_ was real, somehow this was happening. He had just spent multiple hours hanging out with the brunette who had claimed today a date. They trekked over to Clays car and climbed in, quickly turning the heat up to de-thaw.

They blew on their drinks and tried not to burn their tongues to no avail. Laughs and smiles filled the small space as the two enjoyed each others company. After the cups had been emptied, The blonde finally decided to shift his car out of park and drive George back to his dorm. Soft music played in the background of their ride as George stared out the window at the buildings and lights and stars. Clay kept his eyes forward for the most part, only straying to quickly glance at his passenger.

"Well, we're here." Clay sighed. He felt a pang in his heart at the thought of not seeing the shorter boys face. George sighed as well. He turned towards Clay and smiled, grabbing his empty cup.

"I had fun today, see you later." His voice was soft and sweet, laced with honey that ate away at Clays heart. The two stared at each other for a moment, almost breathlessly. The blonde blinked and assessed the situation, wondering what came next.

But before any move could have been made, George opened the door and smiled once more, sending him off with a goodbye.

And just like that, he disappeared from Clays view.

Clay's eyes moved restlessly around his car, until he closed them tight and let out a sort of growl/grunt sound. _What was that?_ It felt unfinished, like he was supposed to continue the moment but instead he sat there frozen-again. Before his pity party could continue, he looked down at his phone and noticed 5 missed calls from Alex. He stumbled over the screen, still in a haze, and called him back.

"What the fuck, Clay? I called you a million times?" Alex spat into the phone.

"What do you want?" Clay grumbled, still in a sour mood from the moments prior.

"What do I want? You said you'd be at practice today! We were waiting hours for you're dumbass to show. Did you forget we have a competition coming up? There's not a lot of time to-"

"Wait stop, slow down, I told you I was missing todays practice." Clay interrupted.

"You said you couldn't make _tomorrows_ practice. What was so important you bailed on us?"

Clay froze, wondering how it would sound if he told his friend he skipped band practice to go on a date with the enemy, "I-I had family stuff to deal with. I don't feel like getting into it now." He cringed at himself.

The was a pause, "Okay, Clay, I get it, but please tell us next time? We were worried about you. I hope everything's alright dude."

"Yeah, thanks man." 

"Well, does that mean you can practice tomorrow or do you need some time?"

"Oh, uh, tomorrows fine I'll be there." He winced.

The two said goodbye and hung up. The blonde took a deep breath and placed a hand to his forehead. 

He wasn't sure when the shift happened, but all he knew was the little lie he told signaled the end of the Dream Teams priority in his mind. Something else had taken the forefront, something he was willing to lie to his best friends for.

Clay just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass.


	11. Selfish

The next week and a half was filled with hangouts, shared memories, and more laughs than you can count. Clay and George had spent a lot of time together after school and texted as often as they could. All these fun moments meant a lack of band practice. Knowing this full well, the blonde just couldn't find it in himself to care. The only thing to occupy his brain was Georges smiling face. Or the sound of his laugh. Or the way he would rub a thumb over Clay's hand when they intertwined.

Neither of the two had even suggested putting a label on their relationship, playful flirting and subtle touches was the extent of their romance-for now. Luckily for Clay, their interactions felt romantic in their own way. There was an unspoken feeling between the boys, something Clay didn't want to lose.

Clay was not looking forward to practice today. He was sure to get an earful about skipping practice, plus he couldn't talk to George if he was playing. He was annoyed; he was also late. 

As he burst through the side garage door, his eyes were met with the three boys standing in a circle. They looked at him with grim expressions.

"Sorry I'm late guys." Clay shook off his coat and unloaded his guitar. The rest of them simply turned to their spots and got ready to play. It felt-eerie to the blonde. The room was too tense for his liking and it was obvious who the silence was caused by.

They slowly got into practice and ran like normal; they'd break out into small conversations and hand out constructive critiques between songs. Clay was just glad the atmosphere had fixed itself. It had been about an hour of playing a combination of old and new songs, trying out different sounds and noticing what sounded good. Clay still found his mind drifting off to the brunette, admittedly half-assing some sections when his smiling face became extra clear in the blonde's head.

"We need to get our setlist for the competition ready, guys. We've got like two-ish weeks until the competition." Nick said, fixing up his bass.

"What'll it be boys? Kelly Clarkson?" Karl raised his eyebrows and giggled at himself.

They continued to talk about possibilities, what they should try out and what to revisit.

Alex looked over at Clay, "Did you find anything out?"

"Huh? About what?"

"About Wilbur and the Ghosts. Any idea what songs their doing?" His voice was monotone, he wasn't looking for an answer. He knew the answer.

"Uh, no I haven't." Clay responded, avoiding eye contact. Alex sighed, grabbed a scrap piece of paper and a pencil, sat on the floor, and wrote SETLIST IDEAS at the top. He looked up at his friends, causing them to follow his lead and sit around him on the floor.

"Creep was pretty good at the scrimmage, we could do that for the performance." Nick suggested, shrugging.

"We should do something no one's seen before." Clay responded. As he looked at the dejected expression on his friends face, he decided to retry. "But you're right, we did perform that song good. Write that down Alex."

"I mean it's a rock competition, but there are like a bazillion different types of rock, so there's so much to pick from." Karl added, earning nods from his bandmates.

Clay felt a buzz in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and grinned, noticing it was a notification from George. He read it and giggled, tuning out of the conversation happening in front of him. He was broken from his spell by a loud "Are you serious right now, Clay?"

The blonde looked up to meet a very angry Alex. "You can't get here on time, you can't not go on your phone for a few hours, you're half-assing practice, just don't show up if you're gonna slack off! We're getting closer and closer to showtime and you're being really selfish."

Clay looked at him in shock, unsure of where this was coming from.

"You need to chill out, dude." Clay said.

"What is wrong with you? Do you even care anymore? It's not fair WE have to suffer cuz you're too busy to give us the time of day!" 

Clay looked to his friends faces. Karl was starting to get upset as well, while Nick remained unreadable. Clay thought he looked sad, though.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Clay was getting riled up.

Alex balled his fists and let out a frustrated "HA!" pacing in place.

"Here? Do you mean you're in the room? Then yeah you are here, but let me tell you something, Clay; it's so, _so_ fucking obvious you're not-here." His words seethed through his teeth.

"We can't just keep ignoring the fact that you're skipping practice to go spend every day with the enemy." Karl finally jumped in.

"You're overreacting." Clay scoffed.

"Am I? You've always said Dream Team comes first, _we_ come first, but you continue to leave us hanging to go canoodle with George."

Clay was taken aback with Karl's statement, "Ca-canoodle? What are you even saying?"

"He's saying you're acting like an ass!" Alex spat.

Clay couldn't even respond. He was speechless.

"You can do whatever the fuck you want Clay, but it's messing up our- _our_ -band, okay? We're a team, you can't just come and go whenever it works for you. The three of us are working so fucking hard while you go out and have fun with George. And we're sick of it." Alex was nearly out of breath.

"Can we please not do this." Nick groaned.

"Nope. It's too late. You're selfish, Clay." Alex said, pointing an accusatory finger at the blonde.

Another scoff left Clays throat, "What do you want me to say Alex? Sorry I have more friends than just you guys? Band isn't the only thing I have going on, I have a life!" His face was red and his words were spilling out before he could think about what he was saying, "What do I even need to practice so much for? I'm miles ahead of you in talent! I'm doing you a favor!"

Clay's jaw twitched, a pang of guilt hit after realizing what he said. He wasn't about to apologize, though. He wanted to stand his ground.

Alex just looked him dead in the eyes. His face was simply-disappointed. The anger was still there, but the overwhelmingly obvious expression of disappointment cut into Clay. The weight of his words became more and more clear as the three boys just stared at him.

It was obvious the moment got too heated, and it was obvious Clay went too far. He didn't want to back down, though. He scoffed once more and stomped over to his guitar, rapidly packing it up and storming out of the garage without another word.

He sped out in a rage, still fuming in his car. He swore and smacked his wheel on the drive home, "Who does he think he is? They barely cared about the band a few weeks ago! Fucking selfish?!" 

After a very loud car ride, Clay parked in front of his house and looked at his phone before going in.

< hey clay! theres a song i wanted to work on and was wondering if you'd sing it with me! im trying to play the guitar with it but i suck lol. wanna help me out? >

Clay took a deep breath and looked at the text with a small smile. Thinking about George really took his mind off everything going on. He noticed George had attached a link to online sheet music. He clicked it and read the song title at the top.

_Holy shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys sorry about this a very short, very dialogue heavy chapter but yknow, f i g h t s! anyways, i just wanted to say that i have about five more chapters planned for this story so i hope you'll stick it out till the end with me! thank you so much for reading and for all the support!


	12. Somethin' Stupid

Clay heard footsteps rapidly approaching the door as it quickly opened, revealing a smiling George on the other side.

"Clay! Hey! Hello!" a light pink color danced across his cheeks as the brunette motioned him into the practice room. Clay smiled and greeted the boy, walking into the room towards the beanbags in the middle of the floor. His smile dropped as he thought of the same chairs sprawled around Nick's garage.

"I have been, um, practicing a little bit so I wouldn't sound too bad when you got here." George said, looking down to his feet.

"I'm sure you sound great! Not as good as me obviously..."

"Hey!" George chuckled and playfully pushed Clay's shoulder. The two sat down in their spots-the beanbags lay so close together they almost touched. As the two readjusted to face one another, their knees subtly grazed against each other. The boys giggled and blushed, aware of the unspoken tension between them. 

"Do you need the sheet music to read off of?" Clay asked.

"Do you?" 

"Well I've played this song before a few times, plus I may have practiced before coming over so I know it pretty well."

George paused, "Well I'm gonna try to play without the music first. I'll follow your lead!" 

Clay nodded and tuned his guitar, stealing glances at George every few seconds. The blush was apparent on both of their otherwise pale faces. He had always appreciated Frank Sinatra, but when George sent the sheet music for "Somethin' Stupid" he nearly passed out. 

The blonde's fingers started to strum the intro, followed soon by George. The two sounds meshed together perfectly, a beautiful harmony heard by only them two. Clay looked up from his strings at the other boy who focused heavily on his own playing. Clays face melted into a smile as he became enthralled with the boy concentrating so hard on his slender fingers. 

"I know I stand in line, until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me." Clay continued to study Georges face as the two of them started singing. He hoped the brit would find the courage to glance up and meet his eyes, connecting even deeper as they played.

"And if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance you won't be leaving with me." Georges voice was soft, almost unable to hear, Clay suspected his shyness as the cause. George wasn't really focused on singing in his band, the best he would get would be some back up vocals, but Clay thought his voice fit the song beautifully. A soft lace dancing through the room up to his ears. At this point Clay's hands were moving on their own as the only thing on his mind was the boy sat beside him.

"And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink or two" Clay took a shaky breath in preparation for the next line.

"And then I go a spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'I love you'." The moment Clay was waiting for arrived as George let his brown eyes flutter up to meet Clays own. The two looked at each other affectionately, holding eye contact throughout the next line.

"I can see it in your eyes, that you despise the same old lies you heard the night before." George raised his pitch slightly, letting his voice harmonize with the Clay's deeper tone. Eyes flicked up and down-from the guitar to the others' gaze-as the song continued. Even with minimal practice the sound was undoubtedly lovely. The sweet mixture of their voices just felt right.

Every once in a while George would strum an off note and the two would let a giggle slip into their song. Suggestive lyrics would also cause the two to break complete concentration and scrunch their noses at one another. Every time their eyes met Clay's stomach erupted with butterfly's batting their tiny wings to the slow beat of the song. 

Clay was done pretending he was confused. He wanted-he _needed_ to stop repressing and pushing away what he's known all along.

"I love you,

I love you,

I love you,

I love you." Their eyes stayed locked as the song finished. Clay felt like he was floating through the air, drifting away from the world as George floated up alongside him. George turned slightly to place his guitar down next to his beanbag.

"You sounded-" When he turned back to Clay he found a soft hand on his cheek. George paused and gazed over at Clay who was facing him completely. The brunette gently leaned his head more into Clay's hand.

The blonde's heart quickened as he lovingly rubbed his thumb against George's cheek. The two slowly leaned towards one another as their bewildered eyes fluttered closed. 

Their lips had finally met. Clay continued to stroke Georges cheek as the brunettes palm found its way on top of Clays hand. 

After what felt like both a lifetime and a second, the two disconnected as their eyes locked on to one another again. George giggled, leaning his forehead on Clays. Their fingers interlocked as they stayed still-content. 

Clay lifted his head to plant a sweet peck on Georges forehead. 

George closed his eyes and grinned, "I'm so happy."

"Me too."

There didn't feel like much to say between them. The two held onto the comfortable silence for as long as possible until they broke into more soft giggles.

"What now?" George asked, still holding Clays hand.

The boy shrugged "I've never had a... kiss... like that" the blonde used a hand to cover his blushing face.

"You're so cute." George cooed.

"Stop it."

"I'm serious! Let me see!" George reached up to Clays hand trying to pull it from his face.

Clay chuckled and tried to keep George back with his free arm, "George! C-cmon stop!" 

Which he did. George leaned back giving Clay some relief until he quickly dove in and planted a kiss on his hand.

The blonde looked at him shocked as he dropped his hand slightly, resulting in a large grin finding its way on Georges face. 

"Cute!" He pointed at Clays now exposed blush. He simply sighed and rolled his eyes playfully. Clay felt so unbelievably happy in George's presence. Not that he wasn't before-but this feeling was unmatched by his standards.

It was so easy to be vulnerable in front of George. He handed the boy his heart and had all the faith in the world he'd keep it protected. 

He looked to Georges eyes and sighed. He didn't want to rush him or make the boy uncomfortable but he knew what he felt was real, "George I-I think... I think" the words choked him up, refusing to escape his throat. He looked down and regretted opening his mouth, "I-um,"

A hand squeezed his own and he was quickly pulled into a tight embrace. He took a breath and melted into the hug, deciding to let the silence speak for itself.

It was perfect.

* * *

Clay's heart felt light and fluttery as he could barely wipe the smile from his face. His special moment with George had helped him realize amends needed to be made. He knew the boys would be practicing and he decided that an apology to all of them was in order. He also wanted to share his kiss with his best friends.

He twisted the door knob and was met with resistance. _It's locked?_ He tried again and decided to knock when it didn't work. He shivered in the cold and cursed at his unpreparedness. Since he figured he'd waltz right in he didn't wear a coat and was definitely feeling the repercussions of his arrogance.

He knocked again, "It's Clay!" He shouted.

He finally heard movement on the other side of the door as it opened to reveal a sour looking Karl.

"Hey." Clay breathed out. Karl moved to the side letting the blonde come in. He looked to Alex and Nick, both wearing scowls with arms crossed on their chests.

"I'm sorry I'm late again but I didn't see the text saying when practice would be." Clay nervously chuckled. No one joined him.

"What are you doing here?" Alex sighed.

"I realized I needed to apologize." Clay said as the boys looked at each other wearily. "I was really dumb yesterday and I lashed out. I didn't mean what I said at all," he turned specifically towards Alex "I'm really sorry."

The silence made Clay's heart pick up its pace.

"Is that it?" Alex frowned.

Clay looked at him with shock, "What do you mean?"

"What about the part where you keep ditching us?" Alex questioned.

"I can't promise I'm gonna make every practice, guys. Oh and speaking of that-"

"Clay I'm so fucking done with you. That was the problem! Saying 'I'm sorry for being a dick' wasn't what we were looking for!" 

"I apologized Alex! I have other stuff going on still!" Their voices continued to rise.

"Yeah and we have a contest to win still!" Alex gestured to the three boys, excluding Clay.

He took a step back and huffed, "Are-are you kicking me out of the band?" He searched for something he couldn't find on the boys' faces. All he was met with was anger, pity, and disappointment.

"We all discussed it."

"I sure didn't! This is unreal." The whiplash of emotions were too much for Clay to handle. He would never have guessed that today he would feel both the best and worst he ever had in his life. Clay looked directly at Nick.

Nick always understood him, the two had been friends the longest. Surely he must get it.

But all Nick did was shake his head at Clay. The blondes heart shattered. He masked his sadness with anger and once again stomped out of the garage.

 _It'll be fine by tomorrow,_ He told himself, _everything will be fine._

Clay climbed into his car and drove home while his heavy flow of tears handicapped his vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the one two punch! you thought you could just be happy this whole chapter????? cmon guys!!! anyways uh i hope you enjoyed it um sorry again lol


	13. Self Destruct

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO MUCH ANGST ITS ALL ANGST IM SO SORRY (no car accident though so!!!!!!!!!)

After Clay got home, he spent his night flipping and twisting in his sheets. His mind would not quiet for sleep, it refused to turn off for the night.

_Why? What is wrong with them? What did I do so wrong?_

Clay was up for hours blaming everyone and everything besides him. He pictured George's face and for a split second cursed him for the spell the brunette put him under. He immediately felt guilty after, nauseous at what he was suggesting. George was the one good thing to come out of today.

Clay took a deep breath and replayed the beautiful moment from earlier in the day. His heart felt warm and he was put back in that practice room, their voices floating together in perfect harmony. His thoughts finally slowed as anger turned to something... fuzzier. Love? Happiness? Warmth? Maybe all three.

He reached to his night stand and turned on his phone, causing his eyes to squint at the sudden brightness.

**4:27 AM**

He swiped over to texts and wrote a message for George.

< i need to see you tomorrow >

Clay closed his phone and threw it back on the stand, closing his eyes and finally drifting into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Clay approached the dorm room George had sent him. Before he could knock on the door, it burst open.

"Hi Clay!"

Clay smiled at the boy and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh. okay." The brunette giggled, squeezing back. The two made their way inside the small room. There was a cramped kitchenette with two doors leading to separate rooms, which Clay figured had been a bathroom and Georges room. They sat across from each other at the small table pushed against the wall. "What's up?"

Clay looked at him and sighed, remembering what brought him here. "I got kicked out."

"O-of your house?" Georges face filled with worry.

"No, no! I'm still living in my house," Clay gave an unsure chuckle, "I got kicked out of the Dream Team."

"Why? Was there an argument of some sort?"

"Uh... sorta. They just couldn't stand the thought that I had other things going on and told me to leave. I'm still so mad about it." Clay sucked in his jaw.

"I'm sure if you talked to them they'll understand, Clay. Those are your friends!"

"No they made it pretty clear they don't want me anymore. But I don't care! I have you, George! Now we don't have to worry about band practice and can just hangout whenever we want to!" 

George tilted his head a little, "Well yeah you don't have practice but I still have to prepare for the competition."

"You see, I thought you could quit too! Think about it, you hate Wilbur and-"

"Hold on Clay, I don't hate Wilbur. I'm still gonna play with them."

Clay furrowed his eyebrows, "I thought you'd like this idea? What if you quit and we just start our own two person band! You won't be invisible anymore."

"I'm not quitting Clay." George said, point blank. 

Clay was once again getting frustrated. The same emotions he felt the last time he saw his ex-bandmates began to rise in him.

"George I got kicked out because of you! The least you can do is help me out here."

A short pause was followed by a scoff, "Are you blaming me Clay?" 

"W-well no but-"

"I don't understand what you're doing right now. Were you skipping practices? You always told me it got called off when we saw each other."

Clay's heart sank as he fell further and further into the hole he dug for himself, "Okay maybe I missed a few but I just couldn't stop seeing you!"

"So it's my fault, because you skipped practice to see me?"

"George it's not your fault, Jesus I already said I took it back." 

The brunette looked at him and shook his head. He stood up and silently walked to the door, pulling it open.

"Please leave, Clay."

Clay looked on in disbelief, once again faced with someone not wanting him anymore. He got up and left without a word. He stood in the hall long after Georges door was shut and locked.

_It happened again._

This time, Clay didn't have anyone else to blame. It all fell on him. Walking to his car brought even more realization that it was _all_ on him. His choices had consequences and those consequences resulted in Clay pushing everyone away. Guilt crept its way up into his heart as all of his mistakes and bad decisions played out in his head. 

He pushed away music.

He pushed away the Dream Team.

He pushed away George.

Clay had spiraled down a pit of self destruction, breaking ties with those around him. This darkness caused tears to fall from his eyes as he sat in his car.

alone.

The situation with George was enough to make him realize he had been wrong, and he must be the one to make it right. He didn't like who he'd become-someone willing to lie and push his friends away. He had to apologize the right way.

Clay now had a goal in mind. While he would love to rejoin the band and win first place, the first step must be a genuine apology. He decided George would need more distance, which he was willing to give. No more distractions from the competition, the brunette had been through enough.

He was going to fix all of this, he had to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry again for the dialogue heavy short chapter i PROMISE next chapter will be less angsty and hopefully longer anyways thank you for reading and commenting i appreciate you all!!!!!


	14. Apology Take 2!

Clay pulled his phone from his ear and ended the call. His first step was talking and explaining himself to Nick. He figured his long time friend would be his best bet into a proper group apology, and he was right. Clay felt a portion of the weight on his shoulders lift off after his very long talk with Nick. He got to talk a little bit about George, scratching the surface of how he felt.

Nick had agreed to get the others to come to his garage so Clay could say his piece. He wasn't expecting much, he realized forgiveness wouldn't just be handed over to him after everything that happened. He began to feel the stress of the situation and grabbed a piece of paper to write down the things he was sorry for. He didn't want to make an unnatural speech or anything, Clay just hated the thought of missing something he knew he needed to apologize for. 

He was writing and thinking late into the night, forcing himself to put down his pencil and attempt to sleep before the big day tomorrow.

* * *

A knock at the door had startled Clay out of his hushed conversation with Nick. He had been pacing and picking at his nails, anxious about the talk he was about to have. Nick tried his best to calm Clay's nerves but the familiar voices he heard on the other side of the door only elevated them.

"Come in!" Nick called out, patting his friend assuredly on the shoulder.

"We are NOT doing Miranda Cosgrove songs, Karl. Do you want us to lose?" Alex groaned.

"Well what have YOU suggested, hmm? HMM?" The boy crossed his arms until he glanced over at the blonde. 

Alex's eyebrows furrowed, "Nick? What's-why?" He eyed Clay.

Clay felt a lump in his throat as his eyes met the confused and angry faces of his friends. All his preparation was thrown to the wind as he stood frozen by their glares.

"He asked me to get us all together." Nick responded.

The two looked at him expectedly as Clay finally gulped away his nerves.

"I need to apologize. Actually apologize, for everything."

Karl and Alex looked between each other before approaching closer. The fact that they didn't immediately shut him down gave Clay a small bit of confidence. 

"I don't really know where to start," Clay let out an nervous chuckle, "I've been a huge dick. About practices, about blowing you guys off, about my last attempt at an apology, just all of it. I was selfish and rude and I'm truly so, so sorry."

"Why? What happened Clay?" Alex's voice was soft, genuinely curious about his friends reasoning.

Clay shrugged, "I don't know how it happened. I stopped caring about the band. I just-I couldn't juggle it all."

"What all?" Alex continued to push.

"You guys and-and George. All I wanted to do was see George," He scanned the eyes around him, "I love him."

A silence fell over the four as everyone's eyes widened. 

"Oh shit." Alex said.

"Are you guys dating?" Karl's face lit up at his friends new romance.

Clay smiled back until he remembered his last conversation with the boy, "We were? I think? But I ruined that too."

The conversation continued as the boys found themselves sitting on their beanbags. The air around them gradually grew less tense as they gossiped and laughed while Clay kept apologizing. He was just glad the boys were talking to him.

"Well I don't know about _Quackity_ here, but I accept your apology!" Karl's contagious grin passed on to Clay's face.

Alex looked at the blonde and sighed into a small smile, "Yeah yeah, I accept too." Clays smile only grew as he enveloped the boy in a hug, "Okay! Okay! Love you too dude."

"It's a good thing we met here, we can finally get some work done for the competition." Karl said.

Clay's eyes widened, "Are-are you letting me back in the band?"

The three others nodded and smiled, excited to finally get back on track.

"You're having problems with George, right?" Nick asked.

Clay looked down, "Yeah. I haven't been texting him a bunch but the few _hello's_ and _i hope you're doing okay_ 's have been left on read."

"That's great!" Karl exclaimed. After looking at his friends shocked faces he frantically shook both of his hands in front of him, "No! Not, not like _great_ because that sucks, but great because now we know what to perform! Your emotions are our secret weapon, Clay!"

Clay cocked his head to the side while his bandmates nodded along with what Karl said.

"Dude the reason Creep was so good was because you were singing to George!" Alex smiled.

"How did you know I was singing to him?" Clays face reddened.

Alex shot him an _are you serious_ look, "Dude. Come on. We're not dumb."

"We kill two birds with one stone here, you can sing an apology to George and we can win first place!" Nick grinned.

Clay thought for a moment, "If you guys are okay with me using our performance to sing for George again."

"YES!"

"YES!"

"FUCK YEAH!"

The three said all at once, forcing a laugh from Clay.

"Well okay then! I think we could start off with Creep, like what Nick suggested. We did it really good at the scrimmage." Nick beamed with pride at his idea.

They spent the next hour brainstorming and getting excited about music again. Clay was afraid he lost that love, that he let himself get too far away from his passion. He now knew music was a part of him and wove into all of his relationships; it brought The Dream Team together, it brought him and George together before and it was sure to bring them together again. He let his mind drift to the brunette and found himself worrying.

_Would it work? Was a few songs enough to repair the damage he'd done? How could he go back to a life before George?_

In a matter of weeks, George had burrowed his way into the boys heart and was refusing to leave his new home. Things went so fast for them but all of it felt so real and so strong to Clay. He could confidently say he loved him. He made Clay's mind get all swirly and produced butterflies in his stomach. This impression had made the last songs of their big performance easy to pick out. He knew what he needed to say and could only hope the boy would want to listen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it was short again i know! im sorry! but THE BIG COMP IS NEXT GUYS IM SO EXCITED I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THEIR PERFORMANCE SONGS I CANT WAIT so i promise it will come soon! thank you for sticking with me, i appreciate it as always!


	15. Wilbur and The Ghosts

Weeks of preparing (along with some interruptions and breaks along the way) had finally led up to this.

"How we feelin' fellas?" Alex threw his arms around Nick and Alex's tense shoulders

"I was way more nervous apologizing to you guys-this'll be a piece of cake!" Clay chuckled.

"Well I feel like I'm gonna barf." Karl groaned.

Alex patted the curly haired brunette's back as they entered the building. The four of them were met with a card table sporting a large 'CHECK IN' paper sign. Clay took the lead as he made his way to the smiling lady behind the table.

"Hello! Performing today?" she asked.

"Uh yeah! The Dream Team?" he responded, scanning the sheet along with her.

She dragged her finger down the list then tapped twice, highlighting their name.

"All set! This will tell you when you perform and when you should make your way backstage. Feel free to watch other performances from the audience!"

Clay thanked the woman and took the setlist sheet from her. The boys all attempted to peer over his shoulder as they walked to see the stage.

"Shit we're after Wilbur and the Ghost's," Alex whined, "I don't wanna follow them!"

"We're not following them, there's one performances between us. This is good, though; we're second to last!" Clay smiled at his unsure friend.

The blonde scanned through others in the crowd, so far only competitors littered the open space as spectators weren't allowed in yet. Clay cursed the sparse occupancy as he found the familiar brown hair he had been subconsciously searching for. He quickly turned away, causing his bandmates to whip their heads in unison to where he was just looking.

"Stop! Stop!" Clay cried in a hushed tone, "He's gonna notice everyone staring at him you idiots!"

Alex and Nick averted their gaze while Karl had to be physically turned around by Nick. Clay took deep breaths as he stole a few quick glances.

"Hey chill out, you're fine dude. You can talk everything out after the show. He'll forgive you." Nick spoke softly to ease the blonde's mind.

Clay smiled and nodded at Nicks assuring words. He had to put everything into his performance-not only for his band, but for George too.

Because the number of contestants was so large, the performances started before the sun had sent around 5:30. The stage was nice-not as nice as the one at Georges school-but still nice. A panel of three judges sat close to the stage protected from the audience by a separating rope.

They announced that audience reaction would play into the final score as a tie breaker of sorts. Basically, how loud and excited the audience was could determine first place from third or fourth place.

Clay felt his hands clam up at this knowledge, realizing their song selection wasn't exactly the hype-up-the-crowd-time-to-mosh type. He tried to shake this from his mind as the performances started. As the sun slowly set, the boys started to get a feel for their competition. They heard groups that ranged from very good to beatable. Karl made sure his friends were cheering for other bands, reminding them how important good sportsmanship was.

"I swear to God if no one cheers for us I'll cry." Karl said, earning laughs from his bandmates.

This was almost enough for Clay. Talking with his friends, being allowed the chance to play with them in front of an audience, cheering for bands from the audience, it was almost enough for him. _Almost._ A large part of him knew the day would only end well if he got to talk to George. His eyes would find their way to the back of Georges head every so often, making sure he was still there. Clay looked down at the setlist sheet he was handed and realized both The Dream Team and Wilbur and The Ghosts would be backstage at the same time. _Fuck._

He had prepared himself to see George after his feelings had been splayed out. He didn't want to get distracted before he got the chance to be vulnerable with his feelings. 

"Nick." Clay tapped his friend who had been nodding his head to the music playing from the stage, "You gotta hide me when we get backstage."

Nick raised his eyebrow, "Huh?" he yelled over the music.

Clay leaned in, "We'll be backstage together. I can't see him yet." Nick looked at his friend and nodded, returning to his head bopping.

Another group finished as the crowd cheered. Clay's clapping halted when he decided to glance at George, who was now making his way backstage. This was the moment he decided to focus on only one thing-Geor-MUSIC. The music. His band. Obviously.

The boys talked during the short lull between performances and addressed the impending performance.

"It's almost time boys!" Alex revved, shaking Karl's shoulders and bouncing a little.

"You're gonna make me nauseous again, Quackity!" The beanie-clad member grinned at the nickname and continued to shake his friend.

The time finally came for the boys to travel backstage. Clay tried his best to hide behind Nick, but his height didn't really allow for it. Almost immediately his gaze fell upon George. He wore a light blue t-shirt under a black and white flannel, black ripped jeans, and topped with a black beanie. Clay found himself admiring the floppy brown curls escaping from the bottom of his hat, staring for way too long. His gaze moved from Georges hair to his eyes, which bore right back into his own. 

Heat pooled onto his cheeks as his heart began beating to a quicker rhythm. George lost his composure for a second before quickly turning his back to the flustered singer. Clay took deep breaths and let himself fall into the conversation his friends were having.

"How we feelin?" Nick grinned. The overall consensus was that excitement overtook their original nerves. Performing for a large audience was always something the boys had talked about, so getting the chance to do just that gave them all a giddy feeling. Their minds blocked out thoughts of what came after the set, for all they knew everything would cease to exist right after they finished the final note. The only thing that mattered was right now.

Well, for 75% of them. Clay still found it hard abandoning everything around him. Honestly, he couldn't-he needed to lean on the crutch of his emotions for their songs. The four of them had gathered around a large fan backstage, hoping to curb the inevitable sweat accumulating on their palms.

Their conversation was interrupted by the ring of a final note, followed by muffled applause. Clays feet started on their own towards Wilbur and the Ghost's. Without reflecting, the blonde was making his way to George. His eyes lifted from the ground, meeting the familiar brown ones he missed looking into. The few feet between them felt like miles to Clay, but he couldn't move any closer. Something prevented him from approaching the boy further. 

He held eye contact with George before mouthing, _"Good luck."_

The brunette stared back for a moment, finally nodding in response. A hand harshly slapped George's back as Tommy beckoned him on stage. George kept his gaze on Clay for another second and slipped his bass strap over his shoulder.

The crowd clapped them on as the group got themselves settled.

"Let's hear what we're competing with." Clay turned slightly, meeting the smiling faces of his friends. 

"Yeah." He exhaled the breath he was holding in and returned his attention to the stage. From their spot backstage, Clay had a perfect view of George. The boys side profile was illuminated by bright stage lights, highlighting his sharp features. Clay found himself in awe-more than he usually was. He even thought he spotted a sprinkle of glitter blended on his cheekbones. _Pretty._

The lead singer let his hands slowly close around the mic, leaning in, "We are Wilbur and the Ghost's." 

He swiveled his head, looking over his shoulder at the Blonde behind the drum set. The boy nodded and dramatically raised his drumsticks far above his head

" **1, 2, 3, 4!** " The boy called out, signaling his bandmates to start their set. The Dream Team looked on silently, too focused for any kind of conversation. 

"Come on in boy, said the skeletons, sitting by her closet door," Wilbur voice spoke into the microphone, attracting every eye in the room.

"Oh! I recognize this! God, what is it?" Karl thought out loud.

"Dirty secrets, empty memories, and broken hearts across the floor," The boys racked their brains trying to mentally shazam the song

"I was knocked out, heels over head, so you dragged me by my feet,"

"To a ghost town, where you buried me, no wonder no one heard my screams," 

The captivating leader released the microphone from its stand and started his real performance. The vocals and background instrumentals began to increase, hinting at something big to come.

"And now that it's dead, I live in your head, _and I will haunt your fucking dreams,"_

The chorus to The Haunting by Set it Off finally told the boys what they were in for. Just as the four of them expected, Wilbur's stage presence exploded with the song. But contrary to the last time the Dream Team watched them at the scrimmage, Clay had no trouble fixing his eyes on the bassist.

The synthetic light highlighted his sharp features perfectly. Shadows fell elegantly on his masterpiece of a face and Clay was envious of the light's soft glow on his cheekbones. His brown eyes sparkled with passion as his fingers danced across the bass strings. The music guided his lean figure into a soft sway; it was mesmerizing. He exuded a beautifully crafted mixture of confidence with his delicate nature. He was in his element. No, he _was_ the element. In that moment everything and everyone in that auditorium revolved around him. Clays heart fluttered with love and pride and pain, he was in complete and utter awe.

George leaned into the mic stand in front of him, backing up Wilbur's vocals. His head lolled to the side as his untelling eyes met Clays stare. Was he angry? Sad? Nervous? Happy? Nothing showed. No hint of any feeling other than a devotion to the music he was playing. The lyrics were aggressive, but Clay didn't feel like he was necessarily being sung at. There was no real spite.

Even if there was, Clay wouldn't be upset with the boy. He was too infatuated to care.

They held onto that eye contact like it was oxygen, like the exchange was necessary for survival. Clay understood they were playing, and he understood that it sounded good, but the music was just a blur of background noise to him. His fixated eyes had blocked every other sense from working. 

George finally broke the eye contact and returned his focus to the mic and the audience in front of him. As the trance was broken, Clay's ears picked up only Georges voice as he sang his solo part.

"Someday you may find, that picture perfect guy, and I'll chase my words with poison," He nailed every note he sang.

"Until that day arrives, and swine take to the sky,"

"Fill your void with open thighs _so._ " Wilbur's voice had jumped in as George finished, returning to the chorus.

The song continued as the audience ate it up. The three other members of the Dream Team found themselves nervous at the amazing performance while Clay stayed in his love filled haze. The piercing eyes finally returned to Clay's own.

"No one will love you like I did, will **_fuck_** you like I did,"

His jaw went slack and his mind went blank. An immediate blush took over Clay's entire face as George sent him a subtle smirk. His bandmates eyes widened as they all caught that moment as well.

"Oh my god." Karl breathed, looking around his shocked friends.

"Clay's malfunctioning," Alex said, examining the blondes extremely flushed face, "Wait, did you guys ever..." 

"NO!" Clays embarrassment only increased as he hid his face in his hands, "No we haven't."

Alex hummed a response and looked back as the song finished up. The short applause was interrupted by a familiar guitar chord.

"They're doing Choke again?" Nick said, earning groans from his bandmates.

" _Fantastic_." Alex deadpanned. Clay shook off most of his embarrassment and listened to the band once again. This time George kept his eyes forward providing a short reprieve for the recovering blonde. They listened to the performance and realized how much improvement there was from the last time they heard it.

The song came and went, suddenly an awkward collage of sounds and odd strings were pulled. Clay raised his eye brow, it sounded like a guitar was being tuned or something. The tonal shift came off a bit jarring the The Dream Team. A distinct sound started playing as the song begun. It was slow and somber.

"It's Mother Mother! Damnit, I love Mother Mother." Karl whined and crossed his arms, mad at Wilbur and The Ghosts for choosing a good song.

"They're doing Ghosting, aren't they?" Alex said.

"The Haunting, Choke, Ghosting, they've got a theme going." Nick replied.

"Very death-y." Karl mused as Wilbur's soft voice echoed throughout the auditorium.

The song was pretty long, and of course they performed it amazingly. The song required a lot of background vocals which let George showcase his voice again. Every time Clay thought back on George's smirk he found his face in his hands. Heat would make its way up to his cheeks and ears while George strummed his bass completely unaware of the effect he had on him.

The final line was sung and the audience reacted accordingly. Karl clapped from backstage and encouraged his friends to do the same. Wilbur and The Ghosts exited and made their way back into the audience to watch the next group perform. Clay gathered his thoughts and pulled himself together. 

It was his turn to sing for George, now was not the time to lose focus.

"We're after these guys!" Alex grinned. They talked amongst themselves in preparation, trying to lose the nerves eating away at them.

Time backstage flew by since Clay no longer had anything to gaze upon on the stage, so they all became startled by the sudden loud cheering from the audience.

"Thank you!" someone shouted into a microphone as the band exited the stage.

The Dream Team circled up and smiled at each other.

"This is it! Time to kick some ass!" Alex said, earning hushed cheers from his bandmates.

"Next up; The Dream Team!"

They nodded to each other and took a deep breath, making their way onto the stage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! thank you for waiting so long for this chapter i'm so sorry it took 8 billion years to get to you! you may have noticed it says 15/17 chapters now, i have decided to cut the competition into two parts and add an extra chapter! i wanted to be able to really focus on The Dream Team songs because i'm really excited about them and their meanings. the final chapter will be a little epilogue and then we'll be done! see you guys soon!


	16. The Dream Team

The four boys entered the stage, smiling and waving at the audience as they clapped for their arrival. Clay adjusted his guitar strap and grabbed the microphone with trembling fingers. _This is it, it all comes down to this._ He forced down his nerves and took a glance at his bandmates. Karl was beaming at the crowd, Nick was adjusting his bass, and Alex blew kisses out to the sea of applause. A smile grew on the blondes face, turning back towards the front. 

"We are The Dream Team! Thanks for coming out today!" His grinning eyes fell upon George's folded arms, unable to scan his expression due to the dark lighting.

After Karl received a quick nod from Clay, his smile grew wider. He spun his drumsticks skillfully in his fingers and tapped the symbols, queuing his friends' instrumentals to follow. Clay was glad he took Nick's suggestion, Creep was a great intro for them. They hadn't exactly mastered it since the scrimmage but the boys weren't too caught up in that. Clay had more emotion to work on besides the previous 'cold shoulder' he received walking into George's school's atrium. The entire setlist had more behind it than ever before.

As the song flowed through, Clay's eyes wandered the audience but always found their way back to George. This song felt like a beginning for them, and the lyrics only amplified that feeling. He couldn't get his mind off George no matter how hard he tried and struggled feeling good enough to accept his love. While his features remained hidden by the shadows, Clay felt George's eyes fixed upon him. He could sense Georges attention and prayed he'd be able to hold onto it until the end.

His bandmates put on a show of their own, capturing wandering eyes who dared to not pay attention. This wasn't just _Dreams'_ Team; they were collectively, equally, a part of the whole. Alex and Nick had utilized the microphone stands in front of them to produce back up vocals. The sound was full and raw and powerful.

Dream had finally come down from his belted note and gracefully wrapped up the song. The amount of energy in that song alone could have allowed him to collapse right there on the stage, but he had more to say.

The songs end had provided a nice transition into the next number, as the instrumentals for Yellow by Coldplay started up. Clay let his eyes close as the sounds surrounded him in a memory. He was pulled back to the night of the party, laying peacefully on the ground next to a very intoxicated George. He could smell the freshly cut grass and the cool night breeze even on that stage. He pictured George's face, smiling and flushed from the alcohol. The way he complimented Clay's eyes, unsure of if they were green or yellow. This song soon became an easy choice in his mind as what they had to perform.

He let his eyes flutter open while his body involuntarily bounced to the music. He gripped the microphone and leaned in, gazing at George with hearts in his eyes.

"Look at the stars, look how they shine for you, and everything you do,"

"Yeah they were all yellow," Clay swore he saw something light up within George, he noticed his body become more-aware, or something. He was truly listening.

He let his heart guide him through the song, relying less on his focused brain and more on muscle memory and emotions. Clay trusted his friends' skills, knowing he didn't have to worry about them backing him up correctly. His attention remained on George. 

"Your skin, oh yeah you're skin and bones,"

"Turn in, to something beautiful,"

"Do you know, you know I love you so,"

"You know I love you so," He stepped back from the mic and picked at his guitar. Clay was so excited after realizing how perfect Yellow would be. A warmth grew inside his heart it almost made him forget why he had to sing to George in the first place. The thought of hurting the boy he loved made him ache with regret and guilt, so he was more than willing to devote all three competition songs to him. To George, _his yellow._

Rotating spotlights beamed through the audience, illuminating smiling faces for a split second before cascading light upon someone else in its path. When they started shining down on the crowd, Clay found himself praying the features he adored so much would be visible to him-and they were. 

For an incredibly short amount of time, Clay made eye contact with George and time froze. He couldn't read exactly what he saw, but the blonde felt he shared a look of fondness with the brunette. His sight began to blur when a wall of tears glazed over his eyes. Pure love overtook him as they blurred his view of George.

"It's true,"

"Look how they shine for you,"

"Look how they shine for you,"

"Look how they shine for," The phrase repeated over and over again as the spotlights flipped from the audience to the ceiling. Clay's eyes closed once more as a blanket of stars overtook his vision. He imagined George's warm hand in his own as the two gazed upon the night sky in wonder.

The instrumentals came down from their high to a much softer tune, highlighting Clays final lines of the song.

"Look at the stars, look how they shine for you,"

"And all the things that you do." the final note played and a quick applause followed. Clay wiped his eyes of any remaining tears, glad none had escaped down his face yet.

The last song was what Clay was really banking on-his last grand gesture.

His friends started playing while Clay readjusted himself. The spotlights returned down towards the crowd and once again rotated around the audience members. Karl began hitting his drum as Clay took a deep breath.

 _I love you George,_ He thought to himself, hoping after today those words would soon be reciprocated.

Clay leaned in and started singing the intro of This Side of Paradise by Coyote Theory.

"Ask me why my hearts inside my throat,"

"I've never been in love I've been alone,"

The words flowed so easily out of Clays mouth directly from his heart. The song felt so perfect for George.

"Are you lonely? Our fingers dancing as they meet,"

"You seem so lonely, I'll be the only Dream you seek," Clay swore he saw George playfully roll his eyes at the clever use of his 'nickname'. A smile crept on both of their lips as he continued his serenade.

"So if you're lonely, no need to show me,"

"If you're lonely, come be lonely with me," His heart raced and the next few lines came and went. Clay felt like he was floating above it all, grounding himself every time the spotlight allowed him a glance of George's lovely face.

"Underneath the pale moonlight,"

"Dreaming of the circus life,"

"Carousels and ferris heights,"

"I'll be yours if you'll be mine,"

The chorus echoed throughout the auditorium as the crowd swayed along. Every time his eyes shifted from George (which wasn't very often) he caught a glimpse of a smiling crowd member. Even though the songs were specifically for George, it seemed everyone else listening had been enjoying their performance. Everyone except Wilbur, who had a jealous scowl planted on his face. 

Clay turned his body towards his friends on stage, interacting with them as they grinned and played their instruments. The leader couldn't help the bubbling pride rising up within him as he reveled in the atmosphere. He considered himself very lucky having the friends he did, loving the way their energy bounced off each other so perfectly. He never realized how much he relied on them, how important they truly were to him. He was frustrated it took a falling out for him to value them as much as they should be valued, but all those moments led up to now. On this stage, in front of this audience-in front of George. However bittersweet to Clay it was.

He made his way back to the front of the stage, only now realizing the stream of tears cascading down his face. He began the final section of the song.

"Are you lonely?"

"Passion is crashing as we speak,"

"You seem so lonely, you're the ground my feet won't reach,"

So if you're lonely, darling you're glowing,"

"If you're lonely, come be lonely with me." And the final note rang throughout the auditorium. The boys heaved in the momentary silence, wiping sweat from their foreheads until the crowd erupted into cheers. The four of them looked amongst each other, smiling from ear to ear. Clay whipped his head around in search of the boy he loved, squinting his eyes to attempt a more focused search. _Where did he go?_ Clay's eyes darted around the faces that surrounded George, realizing he was missing among his bandmates. His smile dropped until he felt Nicks arm sling around his shoulder. He met the smiling eyes of his best friend and grinned back, accepting the fact that even if George decided not to forgive him, he'd have his friends to rely on. 

Karl and Alex bounded over to the others, giggling and high fiving. They praised each other and made their way backstage. Clay couldn't help the sadness weighing him down, unsuccessfully waving off his concerned bandmates. As the four of them were about to mix back into the crowd to watch the final performance, Clay felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned around and widened his eyes in shock.

"Hi." He breathed out. 

The shorter brunette smiled shyly at him. "Hi."

A giggling Alex and Karl were dragged out by Nick, who only shot Clay a reassuring nod.

"I thought you left." Clay said, still surprised.

"After that? How could I?" George's gaze was sweet and comforting.

The two of them felt their cheeks heat up, unsure of what to say next.

"Were you..." George's eyes looked down towards his shoes, "Were you singing to me?" 

Clay debated teasing the boy, but quickly decided now was the time for him to be honest.

"Yeah, I was." He almost whispered it out, scared of what George would say back. Their eyes met once again under the dim glow of the backstage lighting. The final band had started their songs but Clay and George couldn't have cared less. They were busy.

"I really missed you, Clay." George smile a bit, causing a large smile to grace the blondes face.

"You- you did? Because I've missed you too! I didn't want to make things any worse and it was killing me not hearing from you, I'm so sorry about what I said and how I acted and-"

"Oh shut up." George snaked both his hands around the back of Clays neck and pulled him down, meeting their lips.

Clay immediately melted into the kiss, embracing George in his large arms. They reveled in each others presence, pulling away after a long while.

"I love you, Clay." George whispered, still barely an inch away from the taller ones' face.

Clay smiled down at him, "I love you, too." He cupped George's face in his hand and pressed a featherlight kiss into his cheek. They looked at each other with shining eyes and love filled smiles, finally interlocking fingers and exiting the backstage area. The two were met with a large crowd and loud music, as to be expected. They scanned the area, George pointed at the rest of The Dream Team with his free hand.

The five of them walked towards each other and waved.

"Hello!" George greeted.

Alex smirked at his friend, "George! We've met before but since then I've heard _so_ much about you!" Nick elbowed him and smiled at George.

"I haven't met you before! I'm Karl!" He jutted his arm out and shook Georges hand.

"I'm sure you gotta meet up with your band, wanna meet up after they announce the winners?" Clay questioned.

"You mean after we win first place?" George suggested playfully.

"Not a chance, you guys did good but we already won."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I mean it won you over, didn't it?" Clay cocked his head to the side at a flustered George. The brunette rolled his eyes and kissed Clay on the cheek, waving goodbye as he went to find his group.

The four boys watched as he disappeared in the crowd, turning towards Clay as soon as he was out of sight.

"IT WENT GOOD, RIGHT?? THAT LOOKED LIKE IT WENT GOOD!" Karl cried, bouncing in place.

"Of course it did, dummy! Did you see that?" Alex poked his finger right where George had pecked Clay's cheek, "Right here?" An embarrassed Clay swatted his finger away and wiped his cheek.

"Now all we need to do is win first place!" Nick grinned, they nodded at him and turned their attention towards the stage watching the final performance finish up.

While Clay did want to win for his friends, he felt almost selfish at the thought. His heart was already so full he couldn't imagine any more excitement. First place was pushed to the back of his mind as his previous encounter with George replayed over and over. 

Clay felt so lucky. He had his friends, he got to perform, and most of all, he had George. No matter what the competition results were, he wasn't nervous. 

He already won. 

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOHOOOO!!!! ITS DONE!!! (kind of) I hope you all enjoyed this story! I had so much fun writing it and reading all the comments! I tried to make The Dream Team performance special and I hope I succeeded! If you're wondering why the results haven't been said, don't worry! I have one more epilogue chapter planned that will let you know who won, It won't be too long but I wanted to jump ahead a little to conclude the story. I truly truly appreciate every single person who decided to read Heart Strings, I hope to write more for you guys in the future! See you soon!!!!


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